J&K PSC selection scam-I
PSC bungled selection of veterinary surgeons
Touts caught on tape; Members Wani and Goswami selected own relatives
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Feb 21: Questions are still unanswered whether children of some members and officials of Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) figured in recent selection of candidates for feeding services of Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) on the basis of their merit or blood relations. Within days, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has now received specific details of brazen irregularities allegedly committed in selection of veterinary assistant surgeons by the panel of two members, who are said to have selected favourites, including two of their own relatives. Evidence, provided to Chief Minister, includes a taped conversation between a failed candidate’s father and a Bhattindi (Jammu)-based advocate who allegedly worked as an agent for the panel of selectors, particularly the subject expert.
A representation addressed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has mentioned that on February 17th, PSC issued selection list of the veterinary assistant surgeons to be appointed in the basic gazetted service in Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments. Applications had been invited from eligible candidates by way of two notifications by PSC on 28th May, 2010, and 4th June, 2010. Fifty-five candidates were selected for regular appointment, 30 of them from open merit category. Two of the PSC members, namely Dr H L Goswami and Khizar Mohammad Wani, formed the panel of selectors, alongwith a subject expert from South India.
Four of the dropped candidates, namely Dr Syed Adil Bukhari, Dr Yasir Bashir Rather, Dr Pervez Nabi and Dr Nadeem Bashir, have leveled serious allegation of corruption and nepotism against the selectors, who, according to them, used the services of touts and agents to collect money from a number of candidates. While some of such candidates were selected, others failed to figure in the selection list. It has been pointed out that an advocate from Doda, who lives in Bhattindi (Jammu), worked as a collection agent on behalf of the expert. Huge amounts, ranging between Rs 5.00 Lakh and Rs 8.00 Lakh, were allegedly collected from each candidate against selection.
The PSC selectors are alleged to have also resorted to nepotism in making the selection. It has been pointed out that Varsha Goswami D/o Dr Joginderpal Goswami of Muthi, Jammu, who figured at serial No: 26 of the selection list, was a close relative of the PSC member, Dr H L Goswami, while as Umar Yousuf Wani S/o Mohammad Yousuf Wani R/o Bandipora, who figured at serial No: 12, was the son of the PSC Member Khizar Mohammad Wani’s first cousin. Charges against Wani are surprising for many in the government as he had maintained the image of a meticulously honest public servant all through his career.
The representation, copy of which is available with Early Times, is supported with the sample of a taped telephonic conversation between the advocate and one Syed Altaf Bukhari, father of the dropped candidate and complainant, Dr Syed Adil Bukhari of Sangri, Baramulla. In the 14-minute conversation, the PSC selectors’ advocate agent is heard repeatedly pleading that it was “not good to speak on the subject on telephone”. However, the father, followed by mother, of the dropped candidate assure the advocate-agent that they were not recording the conversation. The advocate calls the candidate’s father to Jammu with repeated assurances that he would speak to “Bukhari Sahib” and get the needful done.
There are plenty of suggestions in the conversation indicating how selected candidates had paid money through other agents and got their clients selected. However, there is no specific settling of a deal between the two as the advocate repeatedly advises his Baramulla client to “try to understand and reach Jammu latest within two days”.
“I’m telling you, you reach here and it will be done”, says the agent from Jammu. “Why should we come? We have been duped. We are completely crushed”, the candidate’s father and later his mother tell the agent in choked voice. The conversation is claimed to have occurred between the dropped candidate’s father (Ph No: 9797935545) and the Bhattindi-based agent (0191-2474097).
Is has been further pointed out in the representation that as many as 20 of the highly meritorious candidates, including almost all from serial No: 2 to 24 of the merit short list of Jammu centre and No 2 and 3 of Srinagar centre, have been dropped. On the other hand, those in the tail end have been hand-picked and selected. They include a candidate who was at serial No: 136 in the merit short list.
Audio-visual recording of the viva voce, in which the bunglings have been allegedly committed, has been neither conducted nor preserved. Candidates have alleged that viva of those, who had not paid money, was summarily finished with “bombardment of questions” in one or two minutes but the same was conducted leisurely for 10 to 15 minutes each in case of the “paid candidates”.
One Muneeb Ahmed Saroori S/o Ghulam Mohammad Saroori R/o Karool Sarthal Kishtwar figures at serial number 5 of the candidates selected in RBA category. However, it was not clear whether he was the son of dismissed Minister G M Saroori or someone different.
The complainants have urged Chief Minister to order detailed investigation by State Vigilance Organisation and Crime Branch into the irregularities committed in the said selection. They have demanded detailed examination of the call detail records (CDR) of the expert who used cell phone No: 09989051549 and parents of the selected candidates who often interacted with the Bhattindi-based advocate-agent on his landline phone No: 0191-2474097. They have also urged Minister incharge Animal Husbandry, Aga Syed Ruhullah, to fully nullify PSC’s selection and order a fresh process that should be held in a transparent manner and purely on the basis of merit.
Taking comments from PSC was not immediately possible due to being late in the night. Early Times would appreciate necessary clarifications, if any, from the organization with the assurance that same would be prominently carried in this newspaper with counter-rejoinders of the complainants.
END
PSC bungled selection of veterinary surgeons
Touts caught on tape; Members Wani and Goswami selected own relatives
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Feb 21: Questions are still unanswered whether children of some members and officials of Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) figured in recent selection of candidates for feeding services of Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) on the basis of their merit or blood relations. Within days, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has now received specific details of brazen irregularities allegedly committed in selection of veterinary assistant surgeons by the panel of two members, who are said to have selected favourites, including two of their own relatives. Evidence, provided to Chief Minister, includes a taped conversation between a failed candidate’s father and a Bhattindi (Jammu)-based advocate who allegedly worked as an agent for the panel of selectors, particularly the subject expert.
A representation addressed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has mentioned that on February 17th, PSC issued selection list of the veterinary assistant surgeons to be appointed in the basic gazetted service in Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments. Applications had been invited from eligible candidates by way of two notifications by PSC on 28th May, 2010, and 4th June, 2010. Fifty-five candidates were selected for regular appointment, 30 of them from open merit category. Two of the PSC members, namely Dr H L Goswami and Khizar Mohammad Wani, formed the panel of selectors, alongwith a subject expert from South India.
Four of the dropped candidates, namely Dr Syed Adil Bukhari, Dr Yasir Bashir Rather, Dr Pervez Nabi and Dr Nadeem Bashir, have leveled serious allegation of corruption and nepotism against the selectors, who, according to them, used the services of touts and agents to collect money from a number of candidates. While some of such candidates were selected, others failed to figure in the selection list. It has been pointed out that an advocate from Doda, who lives in Bhattindi (Jammu), worked as a collection agent on behalf of the expert. Huge amounts, ranging between Rs 5.00 Lakh and Rs 8.00 Lakh, were allegedly collected from each candidate against selection.
The PSC selectors are alleged to have also resorted to nepotism in making the selection. It has been pointed out that Varsha Goswami D/o Dr Joginderpal Goswami of Muthi, Jammu, who figured at serial No: 26 of the selection list, was a close relative of the PSC member, Dr H L Goswami, while as Umar Yousuf Wani S/o Mohammad Yousuf Wani R/o Bandipora, who figured at serial No: 12, was the son of the PSC Member Khizar Mohammad Wani’s first cousin. Charges against Wani are surprising for many in the government as he had maintained the image of a meticulously honest public servant all through his career.
The representation, copy of which is available with Early Times, is supported with the sample of a taped telephonic conversation between the advocate and one Syed Altaf Bukhari, father of the dropped candidate and complainant, Dr Syed Adil Bukhari of Sangri, Baramulla. In the 14-minute conversation, the PSC selectors’ advocate agent is heard repeatedly pleading that it was “not good to speak on the subject on telephone”. However, the father, followed by mother, of the dropped candidate assure the advocate-agent that they were not recording the conversation. The advocate calls the candidate’s father to Jammu with repeated assurances that he would speak to “Bukhari Sahib” and get the needful done.
There are plenty of suggestions in the conversation indicating how selected candidates had paid money through other agents and got their clients selected. However, there is no specific settling of a deal between the two as the advocate repeatedly advises his Baramulla client to “try to understand and reach Jammu latest within two days”.
“I’m telling you, you reach here and it will be done”, says the agent from Jammu. “Why should we come? We have been duped. We are completely crushed”, the candidate’s father and later his mother tell the agent in choked voice. The conversation is claimed to have occurred between the dropped candidate’s father (Ph No: 9797935545) and the Bhattindi-based agent (0191-2474097).
Is has been further pointed out in the representation that as many as 20 of the highly meritorious candidates, including almost all from serial No: 2 to 24 of the merit short list of Jammu centre and No 2 and 3 of Srinagar centre, have been dropped. On the other hand, those in the tail end have been hand-picked and selected. They include a candidate who was at serial No: 136 in the merit short list.
Audio-visual recording of the viva voce, in which the bunglings have been allegedly committed, has been neither conducted nor preserved. Candidates have alleged that viva of those, who had not paid money, was summarily finished with “bombardment of questions” in one or two minutes but the same was conducted leisurely for 10 to 15 minutes each in case of the “paid candidates”.
One Muneeb Ahmed Saroori S/o Ghulam Mohammad Saroori R/o Karool Sarthal Kishtwar figures at serial number 5 of the candidates selected in RBA category. However, it was not clear whether he was the son of dismissed Minister G M Saroori or someone different.
The complainants have urged Chief Minister to order detailed investigation by State Vigilance Organisation and Crime Branch into the irregularities committed in the said selection. They have demanded detailed examination of the call detail records (CDR) of the expert who used cell phone No: 09989051549 and parents of the selected candidates who often interacted with the Bhattindi-based advocate-agent on his landline phone No: 0191-2474097. They have also urged Minister incharge Animal Husbandry, Aga Syed Ruhullah, to fully nullify PSC’s selection and order a fresh process that should be held in a transparent manner and purely on the basis of merit.
Taking comments from PSC was not immediately possible due to being late in the night. Early Times would appreciate necessary clarifications, if any, from the organization with the assurance that same would be prominently carried in this newspaper with counter-rejoinders of the complainants.
END
No comments:
Post a Comment