STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jammu Bench has dismissed two petitions filed by 27 employees of the Fire and Emergency Services, Jammu and Kashmir, challenging the termination of their services following a recruitment scam.
The Division Bench comprising Judicial Member Rajinder Dogra and Administrative Member Ram Mohan Johri observed that the recruitment process was tainted by large-scale irregularities and described it as a “big scam” in which jobs were allegedly sold and purchased by the petitioners.
According to the case details, the recruitment process for Fire and Emergency Services was conducted in 2020 through a private agency engaged to conduct the examination. During the selection process, serious irregularities were reported, including tampering with answer sheets and manipulation of marks, where failed candidates were allegedly awarded higher marks to secure their selection.
The alleged irregularities sparked widespread protests across Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the government to refer the matter to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for investigation. During the probe, the ACB scrutinized the OMR answer sheets of around 600 selected candidates and identified 106 candidates as beneficiaries of the fraudulent recruitment process.
Following the ACB’s findings and recommendations, the government terminated the services of these candidates. Subsequently, 27 of the affected candidates filed two petitions before the CAT Jammu Bench, while several others approached the CAT Srinagar Bench challenging the action taken against them.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the tribunal concluded that the recruitment process was seriously compromised. However, it observed that it was possible to segregate the tainted candidates from those who were not involved in irregularities, and therefore upheld the government’s decision to terminate the services of the identified beneficiaries.
The tribunal also expressed serious concern over the scale of the recruitment scam, noting that such large-scale manipulation could not have occurred without the direct or indirect involvement of government officials in connivance with the recruiting agency.
Emphasizing the need to restore public confidence in the system, the tribunal directed the authorities to initiate strict penal and demonstrative action against erring officials, middlemen and other individuals found involved in the scam.
It observed that those responsible should not be allowed to go scot-free as such actions undermine public trust in government institutions.