VIVEK SHARMA
JAMMU: Files of 33 candidates, who were among the 90 beneficiaries in Educations Department’s Class IV selection list, have been recovered during extensive searches in the office of the Chief Education officer (CEO) Jammu.
Sources told STATE TIMES that some of the beneficiaries got jobs on the basis of fake testimonials, which is why their files were deliberately described as missing.
The records reveal that senior officers had duly marked these files notwithstanding certain candidates’ submitting their forms after the last date. The then CEO Jammu had even given directions in writing to entertain these 33 files.
On Dec, 4, 2014, the State Vigilance Organistaion had registered an FIR and conducted searches. However, the records of these 33 candidates were not traceable. These were, however, recovered during raids conducted by the SVO on Thursday and Friday.
FIR No 30/14 under Section 5(1) (d) read with 5(2) J&K PC Act 2006 and Sections 120-B, 466, 468 & 471 RPC, has been registered against the accused.
The SVO team, found that out of 90 selected candidates, 15 candidates had not filled up their application forms and were appointed through backdoor.
It has been further found that academic points of 13 selected candidates were raised/increased while six candidates were either given less marks by interview committee or shown absent. But their points were fraudulently raised leading to their selection. In this way 33 undeserving candidates were illegally benefitted in the selection process which rendered the selection of Class-IV employees in Education Department illegal, arbitrary and unfair.
All these 33 out of 90 appointees had not even figured in the shortlisted 1,912 candidates at all. Interestingly, most of the candidates performed so well during viva-voce that the 4-member selection committee gave them highest marks though academically they had not fared so well.
The 4-Member District Level Selection Committee, headed by the then Chief Education Officer, Jammu Tarseem Lal with Principal District Institute of Education and Trainings (DIET), Mohinder Singh, Deputy Director Social Welfare, Kulraj Singh and Deputy Director Employment Priyalaxmi as Members, had called 1,912 candidates for interview beginning 17th September, 2014.
In all, about 6,000 candidates had applied for class fourth vacancies in response to advertisement notice No: 2 of 2014 dated 19th August 2014.
The interviews began precisely 28 days after the posts were advertised. However, the Committee issued a subsequent notice vide No: CEOJ/26183-84 dated 18th September 2014, asking the candidates, who had applied but did not figure in the shortlist ‘due to typographical error’ to get their names incorporated with an official detailed on duty for the purpose at Boys Higher Secondary School Bakshi Nagar Jammu before 22nd September 2014, two days ahead of the interviews were scheduled to conclude.
As per the final selection list, issued on 9th October 2014, 14 out of 25 candidates, who got their names incorporated when interviews were already in progress, figured in the open merit list. They got 35.25 to 38.75 marks out of 40 at the disposal of interviewing authority. Academically, they have lesser marks than those who did not make to the selection list, as per sources.
In SC Category, six of the eight selectees were from the list of 25 candidates who got their names included later. They got highest 35.75 to 38.50 marks out of 40.
In ALC (Actual Line of Control) Category, two of the three selected candidates also came from the list of 25 who got 35.75 to 38 marks out of 40. In ST category, one candidate Arif Choudhry was among the nine candidates who came from the list of 25. He got 34.50 marks in the interview while having 28.90 academic points though the topper in the category with 39 academic marks got just 29.50 marks.
Those who got appointed outside the shortlist were: Reena Singh (serial number 5), (number 9), Mansi Duggal (number 10), Puja (number 15), Anita Patwari (number 16), Ankush Sharma (number 18), Mithun Sharma (number 21), Kanchan Devi (number 22), Akhil Sharma (number 26), Harmeet Singh (number 27), Ajay Kumar (number 28), Manish Kumar (number 30), Gurmeet Kour (number 34), Ajay Kumar (number 42).
Similarly, in Physical Handicapped category, Sonia Bharti (number 1) and Sohan Lal (number 3) did not exist in the shortlist candidates. In Scheduled Caste category, the selected candidates Parveen Kumar (number 1), Arti (number 2), Monika Dranch (number 3), Vinod Singh(number 5), Sahil (number 7), Koushal Kumar (number 8) did not figure in the shortlist.
In ALC category, Abhishek Sharma (number 1) and Surinder Kumar (number 2) did not figure in the shortlist.
Records reveal that within one and half month, the application forms were shortlisted, candidates interviewed and select list of 90 candidates issued.
