J-K LG dismisses 103 fire department employees for recruitment fraud

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday ordered the termination of services of 103 employees in the Fire and Emergency Services Department after they were found to have been illegally appointed through a manipulated recruitment process five years ago. The action followed the findings of an inquiry committee and subsequent investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) into alleged irregularities in the 2020 recruitment process of firemen and drivers in the department.

In an order issued by J&K Home Department headed by the LG, Principal Secretary Chandraker Bharti said the government constituted an inquiry committee on December 12, 2022, to examine allegations of irregularities in the recruitment process in the Fire and Emergency Services Department in 2020. “The Committee, after detailed examination, recommended a criminal investigation by the ACB into allegations of paper leakage, manipulation of results, and other issues.

Pursuant to these findings, the ACB registered an FIR on January 2, 2025 and submitted a preliminary verification report on January 9, followed by letters on November 21 and November 28," the order said. The ACB report established large-scale tampering in OMR sheets, fabricated scanned images of answer sheets, and illegal manipulation of merit lists, conclusively confirming manipulation of results in favour of 106 candidates who were awarded marks far in excess of what they actually secured, and criminal conspiracy, it said.

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Bharti said it has been established beyond doubt that the appointments of these 106 candidates were obtained fraudulently, through criminal means and result-manipulation, rendering their appointments void ab initio. “The protection available to civil servants under Article 311(2) does not apply in cases where the appointment itself is illegal and where the foundation of employment is vitiated by fraud,” the order said, citing past judgments by the High Court of J&K and Ladakh and the Supreme Court in separate cases.

Out of the 106 identified illegal appointees, the order said the appointment of three candidates has been cancelled by the Director, F&ES, for not fulfilling the requisite formalities required for appointment in government service. “Their continuation (of their services) amounts to a perpetuation of illegality, undermining public trust and the sanctity of recruitment processes.

In view of the facts and circumstances, it is hereby ordered that the appointments of the 103 candidates as Firemen in the F&ES Department, whose names and particulars are annexed as Annexure-A, are declared illegal, void ab initio, and are hereby terminated with immediate effect. "The terminated employees will cease to be borne on the rolls of the department with immediate effect," the order said.