Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 2: The State Vigilance organization has initiated probe into alleged irregularities in the appointments made in Jammu Kashmir Cultural Academy during the tenure of then Secretary Rafiq Masoodi.
In this connection, the Vigilance has seized relevant records pertaining to these illegal appointments in Class IV category from Administration Section of the Cultural Academy, official sources informed the Excelsior.
The inquiry has been initiated against 74 appointments made during the period of 2006 to 2008 while the Vigilance has so far seized records of around 50 appointees and the process was still on, sources added.
These appointments were made under the flagship of separate advertisement notices issued under endorsement number Adm-E/12/2002-03/1447-60, dated 2-7-2002, Adm-E/12/2003-04/3079-3113 dated 22-9-2003 and others.
The record revealed that only one post of Gardner was advertised whereas 19 aspirants were appointed as Orderlies, Chowkidars, Gardners and Sweepers for which no separate notice was ever issued.
The record further revealed that all the appointees, except one, had not applied till the last date for receiving the applications. Their applications were without date and not furnished with the postal orders, which was mandatory under the provisions of the advertisement notices, sources said.
Further, the evaluation sheets prepared by the Interview Committee for appointment of Class IV vacancies on 20-11-2006 bears some marks of overwriting, sources further informed.
While one of the appointees is a non-State Subject, another one from Leh was selected without any interview by Section Officer J&K Cultural Academy Leh and confirmed by Cultural Officer Leh without seeking any concurrence from the higher authorities.
In a number of other cases, the appointees were first engaged as stop gap arrangement and then confirmed against the post. Interestingly applications of these candidates bear no date while some of the appointees were overage at the time of their appointment.
There is another instance of irregularities in appointment of some more candidates against the post of Class IV under Academy order number 69 of 2006 dated 17-11-2006 under endorsement number Adm/2006-07/4368-78, dated 17-11-2006.
According to the sources, all these irregularities have already been established by an Internal Committee of the Academy to look into alleged wrongdoing in these appointments but its reports was neither made public nor submitted to the Chief Minister, who is President of the Academy, for further action.
When contacted, Secretary J&K Cultural Academy Khalid Bashir confirmed that the Vigilance Organization has initiated inquiry against alleged irregularities into some appointments. He also informed that the persons, against whom Vigilance probe has been initiated, were not being considered for the forthcoming Departmental Promotion Committee meeting.
However, sources maintained that the officers who were at the helm of affairs when these illegal appointments were made, were all set to get further promotions in the DPC notwithstanding the ongoing Vigilance probe into the matter.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel