J&K terminates 103 Firemen appointments over recruitment scam
16/12/2025
SRINAGAR, Dec 15: The Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday terminated the services of 103 Firemen recruited in 2020 after an inquiry and investigation established that their appointments were secured through large-scale fraud and manipulation, officials said.
The decision follows the findings of an inquiry committee constituted in December 2022 to examine allegations of irregularities in the recruitment process conducted by the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department. The committee, after detailed scrutiny, recommended a criminal investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), J&K.
Acting on the recommendation, the ACB registered an FIR on January 2, 2025, and subsequent verification and investigation revealed extensive tampering of OMR answer sheets, fabrication of scanned answer sheets and illegal manipulation of merit lists, a government order issued by the Home department said.
The investigation conclusively confirmed that 106 candidates were awarded marks far in excess of what they had actually secured, pointing to criminal conspiracy and manipulation of digital evidence. Several beneficiaries also admitted to paying illegal consideration, the order said.
Out of the 106 identified illegal appointees, the appointments of three candidates had already been cancelled earlier by the Director, F&ES for failure to complete mandatory formalities. The latest order applies to the remaining 103 candidates.
Declaring the appointments as "illegal and void ab initio," the government said the individuals had secured entry into service through fraudulent means and therefore never legally acquired the status of government employees. As such, constitutional safeguards under Article 311(2), which require a departmental inquiry before dismissal, do not apply in this case, the order stated.
The government relied on judgments of the Supreme Court and the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, which have held that when an appointment is illegal from inception due to fraud, principles of natural justice and departmental inquiry are not mandatory.
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