Selection of Veterinary Surgeons

Crime Branch gets evidence of RTGS transactions

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 25: Having taken cognizance of the irregularities committed in selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, Crime Branch has conducted preliminary verification of the charges leveled by a large number of the dropped candidates and their parents. Even as it has received evidences of the electronically conducted bank transactions, officials are understood to be awaiting orders from IGP who has reportedly received a status report from the lower ranks.

Highly placed sources in Jammu & Kashmir Police revealed to Early Times that Crime Branch had launched its PV into the charges of corruption in recent selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons on day one of the publication of a representation, carried exclusively in this newspaper. The representation, addressed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, alleged that touts claiming to be operating on behalf of the PSC officials and a subject expert, had arranged selection of a number of their paid clients in both Kashmir and Jammu.

Attachments of the representation included a taped conversation, purportedly between a dropped candidate’s parents in Baramulla and a Jammu-based advocate, explicitly suggesting payment of bribes, ranging between Rs 5 Lakh and Rs 8 Lakh. A PSC spokesman later asserted in a press release that conversations between outsiders were in no way related to involvement or accountability of the selectors. He stressed that such people, allegedly operating as touts and agents, should be handed over to Police.

Sources, who pleaded that they were not authorized to speak and thus insisted on hiding their identity, said that IGP Crime, Raja Aijaz Ali, had immediately sought a preliminary investigation and status report that had been completed and submitted back to him. These sources said that IGP Crime was “apparently under tremendous pressure” from certain influential quarters who wished him remain inactive and not to issue any orders for registration of a formal FIR in the matter. They revealed that in the PV, CB’s sleuths had detected the key role played by one Shahnawaz Khan.

According to the details made available to the CB sleuths, most of the payment transactions have been conducted through the most modern Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system of different banks operating in Jammu and Kashmir and other states. CB sleuths are investigating why one of the selected candidates, namely Farzana Rashid had transferred an amount of Rs 3.00 Lakh and another amount of Rs 1.00 Lakh from her Saving Bank Account No:  0118040100811384 to M/s Gulab Earth Movers Lasjan under A/c No: 0257010100000827 on 7-2-2011, days before the PSC selection list came out. Out of this amount M/s Gulab Earth Movers Lasjan have transferred Rs 1.00 Lakh to Advocate Shahnavwaz Khan and Rs 5.00 Lakh to one Mr Mohammad Ashraf Thakur bearing account No: 048004010001845.

CB sleuths, according to sources, are also investigating the transactions between M/S Jay Dayal and Sons, bearing account No: 0102CD1595 and Shahnawaz Khan’s M/S Khan’s Residency, bearing account No: No: 0076CD2419.

Account No: 0161CD948 of  Firdous Ahmad Qadri R/o Awantipora is now under scanner for transaction of Rs 1.00 Lakh made to Rabia Akhtar bearing account No: 0113 SB 5242,  Rs 1.65 Lakh to M/s Asif Enteprises account No: 0014CC379, Rs 1.18 Lakh to SB A/c No: 0003SB20665, Rs 1.00 Lakh to Zaid A/c No: 0067 CD 3083, Rs Rs 3.00 Lakh to Kabli & Co Account No: 0161CC338 and Rs 2.00 Lakhs to Shahnawaz Khan SB 5881 new university campus.

M/s Asif Enterprises account is also under scanner for being used for making RTGS payments outside state to various other banks. These include a transaction of Rs 6.00 Lakh to Account No: 0393 CD 145 on 4-2-2011. Identical amount has been found to have been received by Asif Enterprises from account No: No: 0014cc487.

One selected candidate, namely Amjad-ud-islam, has been found to have withdrawn cash worth Rs 3.60 Lakhs from Saving Bank account No: 1204SB 4265 from TP Bandipora, which is suspected to have been an “advance payment”. Sources said that one Bichoo, resident of Kishtwar and Mohammad Aslam Khan of Baramulla, who have served in Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry Departments respectively, are also under scanner for their role in handling transactions for selection of their clients as Veterinary Assistant Surgeons.

END

HC stays PSC’s selection of veterinary surgeons

Vacancies of Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry clubbed to pick up tail-enders

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 25: Mr Justice Hasnain Masoodi of Jammu & Kashmir High Court has stayed operation of the selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons as conducted and later issued by Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) on February 17^th. Issuing notices returnable within two weeks to the respondent PSC, Mr Justice Masoodi ordered: “In the meantime, having regard to the averments set out in the petition, coupled with submissions made at bar, selection list of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons in Animal/ Sheep Husbandry Department, shall not be acted upon till next date of hearing before the Bench”.

A group of nearly two dozen high-merit candidates, who have been dropped in the selection, have filed a writ petition before J&K High Court, seeking nullification of the entire selection list. Senior Advocate and former Advocate General of Jammu & Kashmir, Altaf Naik, submitted before Mr Justice Masoodi on behalf of the petitioners that unprecedented irregularities had been committed by PSC in the process of the selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons. During his arguments at submission, the petitioners’ counsel pointed out that PSC had clubbed 15 each Open Merit vacancies of the two separate departments of Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry in order to raise the figure to 30.

Naik argued that Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry were by no interpretation a single department for which PSC could have justifiably clubbed the vacancies. According to him, PSC should have observed the traditional and lawful practice of advertising the vacancies of the two separate departments separately. In that case each of the high-merit candidate would have availed the opportunity of competing for the posts in both the departments. Going by the set practice---calling 7 top ranking candidates for each vacancy upto 30 vacancies and 5 for each if total number of the vacancies exceeded 30---not more than 105 candidates were supposed to be called for interview. He pointed out that by way of clubbing the vacancies and raising the number to 30, PSC had created justification for inviting candidates upto serial number 210 of the shortlist.

That, according to the counsel, enabled the selectors to pick up incumbents far beyond the serial number 105. He asserted that it was “more strange” that during the process of interview, the candidates were forced to opt either for Animal Husbandry or for Sheep Husbandry Department. He pointed out that in addition to the unjustified and unlawful clubbing of the vacancies of the two separate departments, PSC had resorted to numerous irregularities that resulted in selection of low-merit candidates and dropping of as many as 41 high-merit candidates who figured among top 50 in the academic merit shortlist. He pointed out that even the candidates who figured at S No: 136 and S No: 133 were selected in the Open Merit category.

Had the PSC called only 105 candidates, separately for filling up 15 each vacancies in Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry Departments, there would have been no scope to pick up the lowest merit candidates who figured at the tail-end, Advocate Naik argued.

With regard to the technical grounds, as pointed out and argued by the petitioners’ counsel, Mr Justice Masoodi ordered immediate staying of the operation of the PSC’s selection list. This has stopped the process of issuing formal orders of appointment in the administrative department at Civil Secretariat.

END

Tarigami for appointment of honest incumbents in PSC, SSRB

Early Times Report

JAMMU, Feb 25: Lack of transparency and accountability in recruitment agencies have discredited these and such procedural practices are in vague for selection purposes that leave much scope for favouritism and other manipulations, said CPI(M) State Secretary and MLA Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami in a statement issued here today.

In his obvious reaction to the controversial selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons by J&K State Public Service Commission (PSC), Tarigami asked if selections for various professional courses are made through entrance tests, why the same could not be adopted by PSC, SSRB and other recruiting agencies while making selection of incumbents for various cadres. It was astonishing that most of the selections by these agencies were being made only through direct interviews and even in cases, where screening tests are conducted to shortlist the candidates for the viva-voce, no weightage was being given to the merit obtained by the candidates in the screening tests, he said. Overall performance in both written tests as well as interviews was the only way to get the meritorious and deserving candidates selected in a fair way and even abandoning the interview process could prove more transparent and fool proof.

“Every now and then the aspirants not making to the grade for the selections express grievances of being aggrieved, and need was to remove misgivings and apprehensions among the people especially job seeking youth through a fool proof selection process by amending the existing rules was imperative, as also credible and honest officers be posted in recruitment agencies. There was no harm if the selections were made only through written tests that could reduce the scope for favouritism and ensure time specific selections” Tarigami said.

Urging the government to take cognizance of the grievances of the aggrieved, as regards the selections, CPI (M) State Secretary, Tarigami, urged the state Government to launch investigation wherever needed and make sure that transparency and accountability at all levels was maintained. If manipulations continued in recruitments, the job seekers were sure to lose faith in the recruitment agencies and cause alienation among them. He also demanded immediate identification of vacancies in government departments and filling up of these through fast track process.

END

Crime Branch gets evidence of RTGS transactions

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 25: Having taken cognizance of the irregularities committed in selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, Crime Branch has conducted preliminary verification of the charges leveled by a large number of the dropped candidates and their parents. Even as it has received evidences of the electronically conducted bank transactions, officials are understood to be awaiting orders from IGP who has reportedly received a status report from the lower ranks.

Highly placed sources in Jammu & Kashmir Police revealed to Early Times that Crime Branch had launched its PV into the charges of corruption in recent selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons on day one of the publication of a representation, carried exclusively in this newspaper. The representation, addressed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, alleged that touts claiming to be operating on behalf of the PSC officials and a subject expert, had arranged selection of a number of their paid clients in both Kashmir and Jammu.

Attachments of the representation included a taped conversation, purportedly between a dropped candidate’s parents in Baramulla and a Jammu-based advocate, explicitly suggesting payment of bribes, ranging between Rs 5 Lakh and Rs 8 Lakh. A PSC spokesman later asserted in a press release that conversations between outsiders were in no way related to involvement or accountability of the selectors. He stressed that such people, allegedly operating as touts and agents, should be handed over to Police.

Sources, who pleaded that they were not authorized to speak and thus insisted on hiding their identity, said that IGP Crime, Raja Aijaz Ali, had immediately sought a preliminary investigation and status report that had been completed and submitted back to him. These sources said that IGP Crime was “apparently under tremendous pressure” from certain influential quarters who wished him remain inactive and not to issue any orders for registration of a formal FIR in the matter. They revealed that in the PV, CB’s sleuths had detected the key role played by one Shahnawaz Khan.

According to the details made available to the CB sleuths, most of the payment transactions have been conducted through the most modern Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system of different banks operating in Jammu and Kashmir and other states. CB sleuths are investigating why one of the selected candidates, namely Farzana Rashid had transferred an amount of Rs 3.00 Lakh and another amount of Rs 1.00 Lakh from her Saving Bank Account No:  0118040100811384 to M/s Gulab Earth Movers Lasjan under A/c No: 0257010100000827 on 7-2-2011, days before the PSC selection list came out. Out of this amount M/s Gulab Earth Movers Lasjan have transferred Rs 1.00 Lakh to Advocate Shahnavwaz Khan and Rs 5.00 Lakh to one Mr Mohammad Ashraf Thakur bearing account No: 048004010001845.

CB sleuths, according to sources, are also investigating the transactions between M/S Jay Dayal and Sons, bearing account No: 0102CD1595 and Shahnawaz Khan’s M/S Khan’s Residency, bearing account No: No: 0076CD2419.

Account No: 0161CD948 of  Firdous Ahmad Qadri R/o Awantipora is now under scanner for transaction of Rs 1.00 Lakh made to Rabia Akhtar bearing account No: 0113 SB 5242,  Rs 1.65 Lakh to M/s Asif Enteprises account No: 0014CC379, Rs 1.18 Lakh to SB A/c No: 0003SB20665, Rs 1.00 Lakh to Zaid A/c No: 0067 CD 3083, Rs Rs 3.00 Lakh to Kabli & Co Account No: 0161CC338 and Rs 2.00 Lakhs to Shahnawaz Khan SB 5881 new university campus.

M/s Asif Enterprises account is also under scanner for being used for making RTGS payments outside state to various other banks. These include a transaction of Rs 6.00 Lakh to Account No: 0393 CD 145 on 4-2-2011. Identical amount has been found to have been received by Asif Enterprises from account No: No: 0014cc487.

One selected candidate, namely Amjad-ud-islam, has been found to have withdrawn cash worth Rs 3.60 Lakhs from Saving Bank account No: 1204SB 4265 from TP Bandipora, which is suspected to have been an “advance payment”. Sources said that one Bichoo, resident of Kishtwar and Mohammad Aslam Khan of Baramulla, who have served in Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry Departments respectively, are also under scanner for their role in handling transactions for selection of their clients as Veterinary Assistant Surgeons.

END

Highly qualified and meritorious candidates who figured among top 50 in PSC's 
merit shortlist but were dropped during interview by the selectors. 

JAMMU VENUE

Name of Candidate/Place in academic Merit Shortlist/Result

Atish Raina/2/Dropped 

Sonalika Mahajan/3/Dropped 

Amir Hussain/4/Dropped 

Sania Naseem /5/Dropped 

Bushra Andleeb/7/Dropped 

Gagandeep Singh/8/Dropped 

Bashir Ahmad Bhat/10/Dropped 

Sheikh Rafeh Ahmad/11/Dropped 

Ishtiyak Ahmad Mir/12/Dropped 

Nasir Altaf Zargar/13/Dropped 

Raja Wasim Yousuf/14/Dropped/ 

Sumit Mahajan/16/Dropped 

Vikrant Sudan/17/Dropped 

Aijaz Ahmad Dar/18/Dropped 

Nazam Khan/19/Dropped 

Vikas Dhar Bagati/20/Dropped 

Syed Shafiq Mukhtar/21/Dropped 

Shabeer Ahmad Hamdani/23/Dropped 

Shivani Gupta/24/Dropped 

---------------------------------------------

SRINAGAR VENUE

Name of Candidate/Place in academic Merit Shortlist/Result

Pervaiz Ahmad Dar/2/Dropped 

Muzammil Maqbool Beigh/3/Dropped 

Sheeba Inayat/4/Dropped 

Khursheed Ahmad Sofi/5/Dropped 

Mansoor Nabi /7/Dropped 

Ata ul Munim Tak/9/Dropped 

Mudasir Ali/10/Dropped 

Zahid Amin Kashoo/12/Dropped 

Shahnawaz Ahmad Bhat/13/Dropped 

Syed Adil Altaf Bukhari/14/Dropped 

Mir Shahnawaz Maqbool/15/Dropped 

Maria Abbas/16/Dropped 

Shahnaz Amin/17/Dropped 

Nafis Ibni Assad/18/Dropped 

Gousia Nazir/ 19/Dropped 

Ishtiyaq Ali Bhat/20/Dropped 

Shah Ahsan ul Haq/21/Dropped 
Iqbal Hussain Mir/22/Dropped
----------------------------------------------

J&K PSC Scam-III

PSC calls vet surgeons’ selection “absolutely fair”

In 35 marks (academic merit): 65 marks (selectors’ sweet will), merit will continue to be irrelevant

Early Times Report

JAMMU, Feb 23: After remaining tight-lipped for two days, J&K State Public Service Commission (PSC) today made it audaciously clear this evening that academic merit and qualifications of the candidates would continue to be irrelevant in the selection of professionals, including Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, in all Direct Recruitments (DR) in Jammu & Kashmir. The commission made it clear for the public that out of 100 marks, only 35 stood fixed for the academic merit and 50 for the viva voce. Without explaining why it had not amended Rule 51 of its Business Rules in compliance with the Supreme Court of India directive in the case titled Dr Indra Prakash Gupta versus J&K State, the Commission said that the selectors would continue to select incumbents “on the basis of aver-all assessment”.

In its first reaction to two stories on the selection of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, as carried in this newspaper on February 22 and 23, a PSC spokesman claimed that the process was absolutely fair. In the public interest, Early Times is taking the matter directly to the peoples’ court and carrying the PSC “clarification” verbatim, while, of course, inviting reaction from its readers:

“Jammu, February, 23: Public Service Commission has strongly refuted the undue criticism levelled in a section of press about the selections made by it for different services.

Terming the allegation as farfetched with no relevance to facts, the Commission has clarified that it follows a set criteria for making selections purely in accordance with the Business Rules/ norms laid down in the relevant recruitment rules. The criteria is as:-

The Recruitment made through Competitive Examinations like Combined Competitive Examinations, KCS Judicial Examinations, Assistant Director statistical-cum-Evaluation Examination, Assistant Conservator of Forests Examination and Range Officers Examination:

The Marks for the Viva Voce are prescribed in the relevant recruitment rules which range from 12 to 14 percent.   86 to 88 percent marks are prescribed for written examination which comprises multiple papers.

The recruitment made through interviews (Direct Recruitment):

The criteria laid down for the post where recruitment is made through selection by interview only is as under:-

Weightage to academic merit 30, Higher qualification 05, Experience 05, Special Attributes like Publications etc 05, NCC/Sports  05, Viva Voce 50. Total 100.

This criteria is being followed by the Commission for all such selections. Where the number of candidates is too large, the Commission conducts a Screening Test and restricts the candidates to 1:3 ratio. The Marks of the screening test are however not added in the process of selection as the intention is to weed out the number of candidates. This procedure is being followed by the other Commissions in the Country also.

The interview process for selection for the posts through Direct Recruitment (DR) is conducted by a board with the help of a subject matter Expert. The performance of the candidates in the interview varies and on the basis of overall assessment, the selection is made. It is therefore but natural that a candidate with a relatively higher academic merit may not make it to the final selection.

The issues raised by the News Paper appear to be hypothetical. It is not necessary that a candidate having made in a Competitive Examination will necessarily make it for a post of specialization as in a Competitive Examination like Combined Competitive Examination (KAS), candidate has to appear in six to eight papers and the marks obtained in all the papers will determine his merit in the Examination. As per the experience, most of the professionals choose a non-science subject as an optional and many of them do not choose the paper of their specialization. Therefore if 35 Veterinarians had made to the KAS, it would not necessarily mean a secure job in their field.

Many candidates who had qualified for KCS Judicial and had been selected had appeared in the KAS also but except for three cases others have not qualified for KAS or have not made in the final selection.

Apart from above, it would need no reiteration that the Commission has nothing to do with any conversation between two individuals on any matter and candidates should remain careful and not fall prey to the design of any misleading person. Such persons should be handed over to the police and to the notice of the Commission so that it also acts against them.

Commission has been consistently following a code of conduct where members do not participate in the interview proceedings in which their close relations like son, daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, niece, and nephew are to appear. Further, the relations of the Members, Ministers, Prominent Citizens cannot be put to disadvantage and denied their right merely because of their such relationships.

Commission would expect the media to be responsible while carrying stories against it which are only misleading and contrary to facts. The commission also reserves the right of initiating legal proceedings against such fallacious and the misleading propaganda”.

END

J&K PSC selection scam-II

PSC fixed 50% marks for viva to favour “paid candidates”

Only 9 selected out of top 50 in the merit list; All 35 doctors selected for KAS have been dropped as Assistant Surgeons

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 22: Even as the transparency watchdogs---State Vigilance Organisation as well as Crime Branch---have conveniently shut their eyes to dubious selection of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons last week, tactics adopted by Jammu & Kashmir State Public Service Commission (PSC) selectors to accommodate their own favourites are tumbling out of cupboards. PSC insiders today revealed to Early Times that fixing 50% of the marks for viva voce and just 50% for academic qualification---first time anywhere in India---was the only way to drop high merit candidates and pick up the poor-rated clients of commission agents. It must serve as an eye-opener for the J&K watchers, including the poor interlocutors, that only nine lucky candidates have been selected from 50 on top of the merit list and all others have been picked up from the tail end.

Aatish Raina and Sonalika Mahajan were indisputably the most brilliant students of Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry of SKUAST-Jammu in 2009. With grade points of 8.33 each, both secured first position in their batch to pass the B V Sc. Both will be shortly receiving gold medals and certificates of distinction at the hands of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in Jammu on March 4^th. Both appeared in the all-India level competitive examination of Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) to seek admission for post-graduation in the country’s top institutions.

Interestingly, there was again a tie. Sonalika secured second position in the country in Veterinary Sciences and she is now completing her post-graduation in Virology at Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly. She also qualified prestigious GRE with high scores and is now welcome for the highest learning in top universities in United States of America.

Parallel to Sonalika, the displaced Kashmiri Pandit Atish Raina obtained second position in the country in Animal Sciences. He is now completing his M V Sc at the prestigious National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.

Both appeared in J&K PSC’s selection process of 2010 to become Veterinary Assistant Surgeons in their home state. While Raina stood at No: 2 in the PSC’s merit list in Jammu division, Sonalika followed him at No:3. Shocking but a fact that both found themselves dropped from the selection list prepared by PSC Members, Khizar Mohammad Wani and Dr H L Goswami, alongwith the subject expert, Dr Hafeez, of Tirupatti Veterinary College, Andhra Pradesh, and issued by PSC’s Secretary Ashraf Bukhari on February 17^th.

Raina and Mahajan are among 10 candidates of the Batch-2009 of SKUAST-Jammu who have 8 and above points in their grading of merit but all of them have been dropped. All 10 ill-fated candidates figured on the top of the PSC merit short list. On the other hand, PSC selected Dr Goswami’s relative, Varsha Goswami, Khizar Mohammad Wani’s close relative Umar Yousuf Wani and Faisal Hassan Dedmari. They were at the tail end of the merit list and figured at serial numbers 55, 70 and 97 respectively. They are among 20-odd boys and girls who have been picked up from the tail end and selected.

A representation submitted to Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, by a group of the dropped candidates, alleges with purported proof an audio recording that most of those picked up from the tail and selected by PSC, paid huge amounts of Rs 5 Lakh to Rs 8 Lakh to the commission agents allegedly engaged by the selectors.

Hold your breath. Those unceremoniously dropped by the PSC selectors include 35 of highly meritorious candidates who have been selected by another team of the PSC selectors for the far more prestigious KAS on February 11^th but have been dropped in the selection of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons. They include Dr Muzamil Maqbool Beigh of Budgam (who got First Position in B V Sc batch-2008 in SKUAST-Jammu and figured at serial No: 3 of PSC’s Kashmir merit list), Dr Sheeba Inayat of Sopore (who figured at serial No: 4 of the merit shortlist for Kashmir Division) and Dr Ata-ul-Munim Tak of Anantnag, who got second position in batch-2008, completed M V Sc with high merit from NDRI Karnal, is now doing Ph D from the same institute and has dozens of publications to his credit.

Dr Tak has also qualified UGC’s NET and ICAR’s Junior Reasearch Fellowship (JRF) with high scores and has recently been selected for KAS. He stood at serial NO: 9 of the PSC’s Kashmir merit list but was not found fit by the selectors for the poor post of a Veterinary Assistant Surgeon.

Luck also did not favour Dr Khursheed Ahmed Sofi who was topper of 2007 batch from SKUAST-Jammu, has completed his M V Sc with high merit and has scores of valued publications to his credit.

And, how does it all become possible in a state like Jammu and Kashmir? In almost all competitive examinations and professional selections in India, not more than 20% of the marks are fixed for interview. In most of the cases it is just 12 or 13 percent. Besides, most of these interviews are preserved with audio-visual recording. PSC in J&K had fixed 50% of the marks for viva and just 50% for all other academic and technical qualifications, experience and publications for the selection of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons.

In all-India level competitive examinations, not more than 13% marks are reserved for viva. For example, 2000 marks stand fixed for written examination and just 300 (13%) for interview in IAS, conducted by Union Public Service Commission. In Indian Forest Service (IFS), UPSC has fixed 1100 marks for written tests and 300 for interview. J&K PSC itself has fixed 1950 marks for written and just 250 (11%) for interview in KAS. For the current process of the selection of Range Officers Grade-I, J&K PSC has fixed 600 marks for written and 100 (14%) for interview. Again, J&K PSC had fixed 900 marks for written and just 140 (13%) for the recently completed process of the KCS Judicial.

PSC insiders disclosed that 50% of marks were fixed for viva of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons and some other categories of professionals only to drop the highly meritorious and qualified candidates and to facilitate appointment of blue-eyed boys and “paid candidates”.

“Selectors give 90 to 100 percent marks during the personality test to poorly qualified candidates and thus put them on the top. This happens inspite of the unwritten code that not less than 20 marks and not more than 37 should be awarded to the candidates”, said a source. He said that another code of ethics makes it incumbent upon the selectors not to hold examination and interviews of their “close relatives”. Both the codes stand brazenly violated in this controversial selection of the Veterinary Assistant Surgeons.

END

Highly qualified and meritorious candidates who figured among top 50 in PSC's 
merit shortlist but were dropped during interview by the selectors. 

JAMMU VENUE

Name of Candidate/Place in academic Merit Shortlist/Result

Atish Raina/2/Dropped 

Sonalika Mahajan/3/Dropped 

Amir Hussain/4/Dropped 

Sania Naseem /5/Dropped 

Bushra Andleeb/7/Dropped 

Gagandeep Singh/8/Dropped 

Bashir Ahmad Bhat/10/Dropped 

Sheikh Rafeh Ahmad/11/Dropped 

Ishtiyak Ahmad Mir/12/Dropped 

Nasir Altaf Zargar/13/Dropped 

Raja Wasim Yousuf/14/Dropped/ 

Sumit Mahajan/16/Dropped 

Vikrant Sudan/17/Dropped 

Aijaz Ahmad Dar/18/Dropped 

Nazam Khan/19/Dropped 

Vikas Dhar Bagati/20/Dropped 

Syed Shafiq Mukhtar/21/Dropped 

Shabeer Ahmad Hamdani/23/Dropped 

Shivani Gupta/24/Dropped 

---------------------------------------------

SRINAGAR VENUE

Name of Candidate/Place in academic Merit Shortlist/Result

Pervaiz Ahmad Dar/2/Dropped 

Muzammil Maqbool Beigh/3/Dropped 

Sheeba Inayat/4/Dropped 

Khursheed Ahmad Sofi/5/Dropped 

Mansoor Nabi /7/Dropped 

Ata ul Munim Tak/9/Dropped 

Mudasir Ali/10/Dropped 

Zahid Amin Kashoo/12/Dropped 

Shahnawaz Ahmad Bhat/13/Dropped 

Syed Adil Altaf Bukhari/14/Dropped 

Mir Shahnawaz Maqbool/15/Dropped 

Maria Abbas/16/Dropped 

Shahnaz Amin/17/Dropped 

Nafis Ibni Assad/18/Dropped 

Gousia Nazir/ 19/Dropped 

Ishtiyaq Ali Bhat/20/Dropped 

Shah Ahsan ul Haq/21/Dropped 
Iqbal Hussain Mir/22/Dropped
----------------------------------------------

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.

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