Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 5: The Chief Minister’s office has vetoed Jammu Kashmir Cultural Academy’s move on according promotions to its officers without obtaining Vigilance clearance in view of the Excelsior report on alleged irregularities in several appointments in the Academy.
The DPC meeting today for according promotions to Gazetted officers of different cadre in the Cultural Academy remained inconclusive as the Chief Minister’s representative firmly said no to the departmental promotions without Vigilance Clearance, authoritative sources informed the Excelsior.
Even as the Academy sought to explain that the Vigilance probe had been initiated in some appointments of Class-IV and the DPC meeting was for officers of Gazetted rank, the Chief Minister’s representative rejected the plea, sources added.
The scheduled DPC meeting was held at Srinagar today for discussing promotion of Gazetted officers of the Executive, Cultural and Editorial cadre in the Cultural Academy.
Ram Sevak, Deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister’s office, was CM’s representative in the DPC meeting, which was attended by Khalid Bashir ( Secretary Academy), Sabita Bakshi (Additional Secretary of the Academy-Jammu), A S Aman (Additional Secretary- Kashmir), Haroon Rashid (Additional Secretary Administration) and Arun Bajaj (Under Secretary in CM office).
The Excelsior in its June 3 edition had exclusively reported about the Vigilance probe into alleged irregularities in class-IV appointments in the Cultural Academy during the tenure of then Secretary Rafiq Masoodi. The inquiry has been initiated against 74 appointments while the Vigilance has so far seized records of around 50 appointees and the process was still on, the report said.
Even as the Vigilance investigations are going on, the Cultural Academy scheduled its DPC meeting on June 5 for according promotions apparently in a hush hush manner before FIR was registered against the persons who were at the helm of affairs at the time of alleged illegal appointments.
According to the sources, as soon as the discussion on seniority, APR and other issues concluded in the DPC meeting today, the CM’s representative gave reference of the Excelsior report and registered his reservation over promotions without Vigilance clearance.
Though the Secretary Khalid Bashir sought to explain that Academy had written to GAD and Vigilance for the clearance, which was awaited, Ram Sevak vetoed the move for promotions and directed for postponement of the DPC till the approval is received, sources added.
When contacted, Secretary Khalid Bashir admitted that the DPC remained inconclusive and its next meeting would be held in near future.
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