Srinagar, Dec 15 (GNS): The Jammu and Kashmir government has terminated the services of 103 appointees in the Fire and Emergency Services Department after an official enquiry and an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation established that the recruitment process was marred by serious irregularities and fraud.

According to Government Order No. 608-Home of 2025, issued by the Home Department, a copy of which lies with GNS, appointments made during the 2020 recruitment process for Firemen and Fireman Drivers have been declared illegal, void ab initio, and cancelled with immediate effect.

The decision, the order says, follows the findings of an Enquiry Committee constituted in December 2022 to examine allegations of malpractice in the selection process. The committee uncovered evidence of paper leakage, manipulation of results, and tampering with official records, and subsequently recommended a criminal investigation.

Acting on these findings, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Jammu and Kashmir, registered FIR No. 01/2025 on January 2, 2025. In its verification and investigation reports, the ACB confirmed large-scale tampering of OMR answer sheets, fabrication of scanned answer images, manipulation of merit lists, and alteration of digital records. The probe revealed that at least 106 candidates had been awarded marks far exceeding their actual performance.

The government order says that the appointments were obtained through criminal conspiracy and fraudulent means, rendering them legally untenable. It further says that constitutional safeguards under Article 311 do not apply to appointments that are illegal from their inception, citing multiple judgments of the Supreme Court and the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Of the 106 candidates found to have been illegally selected, the appointments of three individuals had already been cancelled earlier by the Fire and Emergency Services Directorate due to failure to fulfil mandatory appointment requirements. The remaining 103 have now been terminated under the present order.

The government said that allowing such appointments to continue would perpetuate illegality, erode public confidence, and compromise the integrity of the recruitment system. All affected individuals have been directed to disengage from the department with immediate effect.

The list of terminated appointees includes candidates from several districts across the Kashmir and Jammu divisions. (GNS)