*Attempts being made to shield those involved in criminal offence
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 3: Putting a big question mark on the credibility, reputation and working of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has established forgery of policy documents of this major recruiting agency of the State aimed at maintaining the deep-rooted nexus of some members, officials and consultants.
Shockingly, neither FIR has been registered on the basis of explicit report of the FSL nor any enquiry initiated despite the fact that Chairman as well as all the Members were apprised of the same thereby establishing that attempts are being made to shield all those involved in the criminal offence.
The startling revelations have also substantiated the exclusive news-item published by EXCELSIOR in its edition dated April 23, 2017 wherein it was highlighted that much needed transparency and accountability in Public Service Commission was at stake due to nexus of some officials, consultants and experts and all out efforts were being made to deprive candidates from Jammu region of selections for various posts in the Government departments.
Sources told EXCELSIOR that soon after appointment of new Chairman and Members of the Public Service Commission (PSC), a meeting of the major recruiting agency was convened on July 28, 2015 and several decisions were taken aimed at exercising utmost impartiality, objectivity and efficiency in its functioning and being fair to all in the selections for various posts in the Government departments.
About the engagement of consultants to conduct the business of the Commission, it was decided to re-engage Hakim Ghulam Jeelani, former Secretary Services Selection Board and M A Bhat, former Under Secretary of the Public Service Commission as consultants only for a period of six months and thereafter new consultants will be engaged.
This decision was taken on the ground that these consultants were working in the Commission for more than five years and new faces should be inducted so as to allay apprehensions from different quarters about the prevailing nexus in the Commission, sources informed.
In the recent past, hot debate began in the Public Service Commission on the basis of information leaked from credible quarters that minutes of meeting held on July 28, 2015 were forged on the issue of engagement of consultants and Chairman has been given powers to extend engagement of consultants from time to time.
Following serious concern by several Members of the PSC, it was decided to get the relevant pages of the minutes of meeting containing initials of Chairman Abdul Latief-u-Zaman Deva, the then Member Tashi Dorje and sitting Member Mushtaq Ahmed Lone forensically examined. Accordingly, Suresh Kumar Sharma, Member (Legal) of the PSC, who detected the forgery, vide letter dated May 19, 2017 approached Director FSL Jammu for examination of initials under question.
The Directorate of J&K Forensic Science Laboratory in its report No.32/DOC/FSL/2017 dated May 22, 2017, the copy of which has been managed by EXCELSIOR from the Directorate, has established forgery of initials of Tashi Dorje, the then Member of the Public Service Commission. Even two initial pages of the minutes have also been found to be tampered with.
“The documents of this case have been carefully examined with scientific aids such as illuminated magnifiers, stereo-zoom microscope, video spectral comparator etc and I have come to the opinion that person who wrote the red enclosed admitted initials stamped and marked A-I to A-5 didn’t write the red enclosed questioned initials similarly stamped and marked Q-1 and Q-2 due to the reasons that differences have been observed between the questioned and admitted initials in the writing habits”, read the report signed by Rakesh Hangloo, Scientific Officer and HoD (Documents) of FSL.
“On inter-se comparison, it has been observed that all the admitted initials marked A-1 to A-5 are consistent with one another and hence found suitable for comparison with the questioned initials. The questioned initials don’t agree with the admitted initials in general writing habits such as movement, skill, speed, slant, spacing, relative size and proportion, alignment and rhythm etc”, the report further said, adding “the questioned initials also don’t agree with the admitted initials in minute and inconspicuous details of formation and combination of various characters”.
“Some of the significant dissimilarities which have been observed between the questioned and the admitted initials in such significant features are relative size of initial stroke of first character, nature of slant of its staff together with manner of its combination of its subsequent character, shape of its body oval together with direction of finish, relative location of underscore etc”, the report said, adding “the tint, shade, lustre and hue of the ink used in writing the initials marked Q-1 and Q-2 have been found to be different from that of the ink used in writing blue enclosed full signature marked B-1 on last page of minutes of meeting dated July 28, 2015 of Tashi Dorje when viewed under infra-red light”.
Moreover, the report said, “the width of ink strokes of initials marked Q-1 and Q-2 has also been found to different from that of full signature of Tashi Dorje”, adding “the typographical matter on obverse as well as reverse sides of the pages bearing the questioned initials marked Q-1 and Q-2 is bereft of any usual margin on lower edge”.
“Although the explicit report of FSL establishing forgery of policy documents was placed before the Chairman as well as Members of the Commission yet neither any FIR has been lodged nor enquiry initiated for conducting in-depth investigation to fix the culpability of the persons involved despite the fact that the startling revelations have seriously affected the credibility, reputation and working of the Commission”, sources said.
They informed that all out attempts are being made to shield those involved in the criminal offence in order to maintain the deep rooted nexus, which otherwise is depriving meritorious candidates not only from Jammu but also from different parts of Kashmir valley, Rajouri-Poonch and erstwhile Doda district of their selections for various posts in Government departments.
“The forgery of policy documents has substantiated the general perception that all is not well in the Public Service Commission and unless the manpower deployed in this major recruiting agency is changed things are not going to improve and biased approach in selections will continue”, sources remarked.
“Now, it is to be seen whether the Government takes steps to streamline the functioning of Public Service Commission by acting on the report of Forensic Science Laboratory or shuts its eyes towards the startling revelations and allow the nexus to continue”, they said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
