Accord of higher grade to 13 officers withheld
Establishment Committee to forward more lists to ACB
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 25: Governor’s Administration has decided to ascertain the status of the cases registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) before considering the promotion of tainted officers of the State Government and in the first instance accord of higher grade to over a dozen officers has been withheld for want of necessary information from the premier investigating agency of the State.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Government vide Order No.1488-GAD dated December 26, 2011 had laid down a procedure to be adopted by the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee while making promotions to various scales of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service commonly known as KAS.
“The Administrative Department concerned shall place before the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee headed by the Chief Secretary the integrity certificate and clearance from vigilance in respect of each officer in the zone of the consideration”, read the order of December 26, 2011.
However, this procedure was not being strictly followed as a result of which even the ‘tainted’ officers were getting promotions despite facing FIRs under Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act.
Now, the Governor’s Administration has decided to strictly implement the explicit procedure so as to put brakes on the promotion of officers, who have been booked under the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act, sources said, adding Establishment-Cum-Selection Committee headed by the Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam has already started acting strictly on the procedure.
They disclosed that in its last meeting the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee deferred the accord of higher grade to 13 Deputy Secretary rank officers and asked the General Administration Department to process their cases afresh after ascertaining the latest status/disposal of cases registered against them by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (formerly J&K State Vigilance Organization).
“The General Administration Department has formally written to the Headquarters of Anti-Corruption Bureau seeking status of the FIRs registered against these 13 officers”, sources said, adding “the requisite information is likely to be placed before the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee shortly”.
The officers whose promotion has been deferred by the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee for want of requisite information from the Anti-Corruption Bureau include Mohammad Yousuf Malik, who is facing FIR No.19/2018 in his capacity as Assistant Commissioner Development Reasi; Noor Alam, who is involved in case FIR No.8/2018 in his capacity as Assistant Commissioner Development Rajouri and Subash Chander Dogra, who is facing FIR No.16/2014 in his capacity as Tehsildar Settlement Udhampur.
The other officers are Abdul Qayoom Mir booked under FIR No.19/2005 in his capacity as Assistant Director, Consumer Affaris and Public Distribution Department Reasi; Gul Hassan Kraipak facing Vigilance Verification No.25/2009; Rajive Magotra, who is involved in FIR No.16/2014 in his capacity as Tehsildar Udhampur.
Sushil Kesar, who is involved in FIR No.16/2014 in his capacity as Tehsildar Udhampur; Akhtar Hussain Qazi, who is facing two FIRs and one verification in his capacity as BDO Ghat Doda; Dil Mir, who was involved in Verification No.UD-06/2012 and against whom Regular Departmental Action was recommended; Sushil Kumar, who was involved in Verification No.JMU-17/2017 in his capacity as BDO and against whom Regular Departmental Action was recommended; Shabir-ul-Hassan against whom departmental action was recommended following enquiry in case FIR No.27/2002 and Ghulam Rasool Wani against whom Regular Departmental Action was recommended following verification by the State Vigilance Organization are the other officers in the list.
They disclosed that more such lists will be forwarded to the Headquarters of Anti-Corruption Bureau by the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee at the time of consideration of promotions.
It is pertinent to mention here that some of the officers in the list of 13 were holding the prime posts even after facing Anti-Corruption Bureau FIRs but were given lesser important positions only on the instructions of Chief Secretary.
It may be recalled that recently the Chief Secretary issued directions for conducting departmental and criminal proceedings against the erring Government servants simultaneously as a part of the strategy to deal strictly with the ‘tainted’ officers.
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