Jammu: Government employees in J&K whose conduct will be found “unbecoming of a government servant” and who will get an “adverse report” during their “periodic verification of character and antecedents” may face termination from services. The termination will, however, take effect “on the confirmation of the adverse report by the UT Level Screening Committee.”
The decision of the UT Level Screening Committee can be reviewed by the Chief Secretary-led Review Committee, on reference to it by the former committee or on the representation of any aggrieved employee(s).
This was directed by the government in an order today while reiterating renewed set of instructions and parameters to be followed by the Administrative departments in J&K.
Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi directed that the instructions given in the order “would be kept in mind during periodic verification of character and antecedents of government employees”.
The list of “adversely reported employees” would be immediately reported to the General Administration Department, he added.
Spelling out the parameters, Dwivedi stated that every government employee “is mandatorily required to maintain absolute integrity, honesty and allegiance to the Union of India and its Constitution and do nothing which is unbecoming of a government servant.
“Further, a government employee is bound by the J&K Government Employees Conduct Rules, 1971 all the time during his service. These rules contain various provisions covering a wide range of activities governing conduct of employees in public and private.
“Accordingly, in continuation to Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Character & Antecedents) Instructions, 1997, notified vide Government Order No. 1918-GAD of 1997 dated 09.12.1997, as amended from time to time, these instructions shall be kept in mind in furtherance of above during periodic verification of character and antecedents of government employees,” he ordered.
Parameters to be taken care of by the departments while verifying employees’ antecedents will be related to “involvement in any act of sabotage, espionage, treason, terrorism, subversion, sedition/secession, facilitating foreign interference, incitement to violence or any other unconstitutional act.”
“Association or sympathy with persons who are attempting to commit any of the above acts or involved in aiding or abetting or advocating the above acts; involvement of an individual’s immediate family, persons sharing residential space with the employee to whom he or she may be bound by affection, influence, or obligation or involved in any of the acts, directly or indirectly, having potential of subjecting the individual to duress, thereby posing a grave security risk; failure to report relatives, persons sharing residential space or associates who are connected with any foreign government, associations, foreign nationals known to be directly or indirectly hostile to India’s national and security interests,” would also be part of the parameters to be followed during employees’ verification process.
The employees, as per the order, may also get adverse report, in case of “failure to report unauthorized association with a suspected or known collaborator or employee of a foreign intelligence service; reports indicating that representatives or nationals from a foreign country are acting to increase the vulnerability of the individual to possible future exploitation, coercion or pressure and failure to report contacts with citizens of other countries or financial interests in other countries which make an individual potentially vulnerable to coercion, exploitation, or pressure by a foreign government.
“On the basis of discrete verifications on these parameters, a list of adversely reported employees received by the government from time to time shall be taken into cognizance by the concerned Administrative Departments which shall then immediately report it to the General Administration Department.
“In the event, such employee(s) are due for promotion (Functional/Non-functional), their cases shall be put on hold immediately,” Dwivedi instructed.
As per the order, such cases would be submitted to the UT Level Screening Committee constituted for the purpose vide Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Verification of Character & Antecedents) Instructions, 1997, notified vide Government Order No.191B-GAD of 1997 dated December 9, 1997 as amended from time to time, for its decision.
“On confirmation of the adverse report by the UT Level Screening Committee, further action shall be taken against the adversely reported employee(s), which may include termination from government services. The decision of the UT Level Screening Committee can be reviewed by the Review Committee, on reference to it by the UT Level Screening Committee or on the representation of any aggrieved employee(s),” Dwivedi directed.