Govt terminates services of 103 firemen appointees over recruitment scam
Srinagar, Dec 15: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday terminated the services of 103 appointees in the Fire and Emergency Services Department after an official enquiry and Anti-Corruption Bureau investigation established that their recruitment was illegal and fraudulently manipulated.
According to Government Order No. 608-Home of 2025, issued by the Home Department, the appointments made during the 2020 recruitment process for Firemen and Fireman Drivers were declared illegal, void ab initio, and cancelled with immediate effect.
The action follows the findings of an Enquiry Committee constituted in December 2022, which examined allegations of serious irregularities in the selection process. The committee recommended a criminal investigation after detecting evidence of paper leakage, manipulation of results, and tampering with official records.
Subsequent investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Jammu and Kashmir, led to the registration of FIR No. 01/2025 on January 2, 2025. The ACB, in its verification and investigation reports, confirmed large-scale tampering of OMR answer sheets, fabrication of scanned answer images, manipulation of merit lists, and alteration of digital evidence. The probe established that at least 106 candidates were awarded marks far in excess of what they had actually secured.
The government order as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust notes that the appointments were secured through criminal conspiracy and fraudulent means, rendering them legally unsustainable. It further states that constitutional protections under Article 311 are not applicable in cases where appointments are illegal from inception, citing multiple judgments of the Supreme Court and the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Of the 106 candidates identified as illegally selected, appointments of three individuals had already been cancelled earlier by the Fire and Emergency Services Directorate for failing to meet mandatory appointment formalities. The remaining 103 were terminated through the present order.
The government held that continuation of such appointments would perpetuate illegality, undermine public trust, and compromise the sanctity of the recruitment process. All terminated individuals have been directed to cease association with the department from the date of issuance of the order.
The list of terminated appointees, includes candidates from multiple districts across Kashmir and Jammu divisions. The order has been issued with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor and signed by the Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department. (KNT)
