J&K PSC victim in KAS among 100 IAS toppers of 2011

920 selected for Civil Services out of 2.69 Lakh candidates

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 11: Sarvjeet Soodan of Jammu’s Ranbir Singhpura area kept himself better placed by staying away from J&K Public Service Commission’s selection of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons (VASs) in 2010. When the results came out on February 17th and Soodan found most of the state’s brilliant veterinary graduates and post-graduates missing in the selection list, he felt pained but relieved in the sense that he had saved a lot of his time, energy and money.

He, however, could not resist the temptation of appearing in the PSC’s Combined Civil Services examination. Finding himself among a limited number of the candidates who got 4-digit marks in the Mains (1024 out of 1950), Soodan (Roll No: 0901312) was certain of his placement in the high-prestige junior scale of Kashmir Administrative Service. Notwithstanding his best performance in the Personality Test, PSC selectors did not award him more than 135 (out of 250). Consequently, he plummeted from the top in the Mains to the bottom of the final selection and was placed at the tail-end of the candidates selected for the least sought-after J&K Accounts (Gazetted) Service.

This was in sharp contrast to a PSC member’s daughter, Shadab Makhdoomi and her friend, Tehleela, who ranked at the top of the viva with 205 marks each. Both were around a hundred points below Soodan and stood nowhere among first 200 in the selection list of the Mains.

But when the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today declared the final results of the Civil Services examination 2010-11, Soodan found himself among the first 100 toppers of the IAS. Whose evaluation is wrong---UPSC’s or J&K PSC’s? Better leave to the readers.  Last year’s IAS topper, Dr Shah Faisal must be thanking his stars for not exposing himself to an apparent humiliation by not appearing in the KAS.

Mohammad Aijaz Farazi of Poonch is another PSC victim who made it to the Central Civil Services today despite getting paltry 20-odd marks in the ‘interview’. He ranks at 794 in the UPSC selection list but still feels it better than working in an inferior Accounts service of the Combined Civil Services in J&K.  Aijaz is better placed than Israr Ahmed of Poonch who got 1130 (two points above the final cut off level of 1128) in the CCS Mains alone. He ranked at 6^th position of merit in the Mains list but fell off to 150^th position in the final selection as the PSC selectors granted him poor 20.

Dr Lokesh, who did his MBBS from Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu in 2008, crossed the magic figure of 1000 in the CCS Mains. He too was granted a poor of 30 marks in the viva and fell off to the tail-end of the final selection list. He is now in the inferior J&K Accounts (Gazetted) Service.

PSC’s officials and members have been arguing that even the most brilliant candidates do cut a sorry figure in the interview. The candidates, on the other hand, have maintained that there could be exceptions and the PSC’s “pattern” of dropping most of the high-merit candidates and selecting blue-blooded boys and girls is not natural. By and large, their perception is that PSC’s members and officials are patronized at top political and bureaucratic levels and obliging their masters is a natural phenomenon. “How do the selectors know exactly how much marks are required for an influential candidate to pass the viva?”, asked a female candidate who insisted that in over 70% cases, it was “just a fixed match”.

Meanwhile, UPSC today declared final results of the central Civil Services examination. Four to five of the 962 selectees are reportedly from Jammu & Kashmir state.

A total number of 5,47,698 candidates applied for this examination, 2,69,036 candidates appeared for the Preliminary examination, which was conducted on May 23, 2010.  12,491 candidates qualified for the Main written examination held in October-November, 2010. 2589 candidates were short listed for the Personality Test conducted in March-April, 2011.

Finally, 920 candidates (717 male and 203 female) have been recommended for appointment to the IAS, IFS, IPS and other Central Services.

Ms  S Divyadharshini (Roll NO.014421), a female candidate, has topped the Civil Services Examination, 2010. She has done B.A., B.L.(Hons.) from Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai. This is her second attempt.

The second ranker is Ms Sweta Mohanty (Roll NO.316736). She has done B.Tech (Computer Science) from GRIET, JNTU, Hyderabad. This is her third attempt.

RV Varun Kumar (Roll No.021490), is the topper among male candidates. He has secured overall third rank. He has done BDS from Ragas Dental College, Chennai. This is his third attempt. The Top 25 candidates consist of 20 males and 5 females.

Top 25 candidates comprise of 15 candidates belonging to Engineering; 5 candidates belonging to Commerce, Management, Humanities, Science & Social Sciences; and 5 candidates belonging to Medical Science background. Out of the Top 25 candidates, 8 have made to the merit list in their first attempt, 4 in second attempt, 9 in third attempt, 3 in fourth attempt and 1 in fifth attempt. Of the 920 candidates recommended, 28 are physically challenged candidates ¡V 14 orthopaedically challenged; 5 visually impaired and 9 hearing impaired.

END

Geelani's biographer arrested for conviction in Wanchoo murder

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

Srinagar May 10: Lecturer of Department of Persian in University of Kashmir, Dr Mohammad Shafi Khan, has been arrested by Special Operation Group (SOG) Srinagar after evading arrest for more than seven years. Dr Khan, who assumed the pseudonym of Dr Shafi Shariati, and shot into prominence with his biography on the separatist hardliner Syed Ali Geelani, had jumped the bail and gone underground after Supreme Court of India held him guilty and awarded him life term in Hriday Nath Wanchoo assassination case.

Even as Geelani has raised the issue of Khan's "kidnapping" through repetitive statements since earlier this week and Government has maintained total silence and ignored the allegation, informed sources revealed to Early Times that the fugitive separatist ideologue has been arrested by SOG sleuths from his Srinagar hideout.

None of the Police officials was available for comment. SSP Srinagar, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari, picked up the phone but insisted that he could talk only after he was free from an official meeting late tonight. He did not respond till filing of this report.

A resident of Haari Wanin village in Khansahab- Beerwah belt of Budgam district, Khan had joined PG Department of Persian after completing his Ph D in Persian literature in late 1980s. In 1991, he joined radical militant outfit, Jamiatul Mujahideen, founded by his neighbour, Hilal Ahmed Mir alias Nasirul Islam of Rawalpora Beerwah village. Nasirul Islam had launched JuM after he functioned as Hizbul Mujahideen's first chief (Amir-e-Aala) in 1990-91 but broke away with co-founders of Hizb over the move of declaring Hizb as the guerrilla arm of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Ideological hardliner JuM professed what officials called intellectual terrorism. JuM chief Ashiq Hussain Faktoo alias Dr Qasim, who is also detained Dukhtaraan-e-Millat founder Chairperson Asiya Andrabi's husband, was arrested and tried, alongwith Dr Shafi Khan, for the duo's alleged involvement in the 1993 assassination of noted human rights activist, H N Wanchoo, at Balgarden Karan Nagar, just 200 yards from DGP's office.

Both the accused succeeded in getting released on bail from J&K High Court. Even as Dr Khan went underground, Faktoo alias Dr Qasim was arrested at IGI Airport on his arrival from London in 1999. Dr Farooq Abdullah's government went in appeal against High Court judgment to Supreme Court and pursued the matter assiduously till the apex court declared Faktoo and Khan guilty and awarded them both with imprisonment. Faktoo has been continuously in jail since 1999. During his imprisonment in Srinagar Central Jail, he has completed his Ph D in Islamic Studies.

Dr Khan surfaced and joined back his position at University of Kashmir when Prof M Y Qadiri was the Vice Chancellor. He however went permanently underground after the apex court pronounced the judgment. Sources at KU said that Dr Khan's job remained intact till date but he never turned up at the campus.

Dr Khan shot into prominence when Hr published Geelani's biography in Urdu, titled "Syed Ali Geelani: Aek Tehreek, Aek Tareekh" in 2009. The book became highly controversial as Dr Shafi Shariati described Geelani as a charismatic leader and separatist icon but unleashed virulent criticism over Jamaat-e-Islami's act of isolating Geelani during the Hurriyat split in 2003. He viewed it as strengthening of the Indian "occupation" on Jammu and Kashmir.

Geelani broke away from Jamaat after over 50 years of his association with the organisation in 2004 and floated his own Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, principal constituent of Hurriyat (G).

END

How PSC shattered faith of Afzal Guroo’s cousin in J&K’s institutions

2 members asked him meaning of his surname, others remained busy with
a different conversation

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 5: Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission’s
panelists and officials favoured their own relatives and scores of
blue-eyed boys by raising them from bottom to top in the personality
test of selection for Combined Civil Services. Those, who had neither
money nor effective connections, were mercilessly eliminated by the
selectors.

It was the last chance of life for Altaf Hussain Shah of Gorsai, Poonch, (Roll No: 1703741), who got an impressive 1000 in the Mains. He needed just 51 marks to reach 1051--- the cut off level for this RBA category. Inspite of his best ever performance during the interview, he was granted 50. His dream of becoming someday a Deputy Commissioner or Commissioner-Secretary in his state shattered with the deficit of one mark.

However, Shah’s veritable shock came the moment he learned that an Open Merit candidate, who happened to be the daughter of a PSC Member, had stood first with 205 out of 250 in the interview. Shadab Makhdoomi, daughter of the PSC Member Javed Makhdoomi, had secured just 952 out of 1950 marks in the Mains. Inspite of being from the backward category, Shah obtained a neat 1000.
Places were swapped in the viva when he got the lowest and she got the highest.

Story of the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guroo’s cousin, Yasin Guroo, is equally pathetic. Like Shah, it was the last chance of life for Guroo who is now 35 years old. This Open Merit candidate (Roll No: 1101283) stood behind only 22 candidates among hundreds who appeared in the Mains. He got a secure 1063 marks and required 65 only to reach the OM cut off i.e 1128. He was granted a paltry 30.

Yasin Guroo’s brother, Shaukat Guroo, remained in jail for over 9 years on account of his “involvement” in the terrorist attack on the Parliament on December 13, 2001. Cousin, Afzal Guroo, is awaiting execution as he has been sentenced to death.

“During 9 years of tribulation while pursuing my relative’s case in Delhi, I never lost faith in the Indian democratic institutions. I quarreled with others to assert that that justice is assured in this country. But, the day my result was out and I closely watched murder of talent and merit, I became speechless for ever”, Yasin Guroo told Early Times.

“I am now almost 35 and it was obviously the last chance for me but even if they conduct another examination in next two years, I am not going to appear. This is all wastage of time, energy and money. These prestigious jobs are a matter of SRO-43 in this state”, Guroo complained while alleging that children of influential bureaucrats, politicians and others were grabbing the KAS and KPS posts as a matter of inheritance.

Guroo, who has a Masters in English language and literature from the University of Kashmir, narrated an eye-opener. “When I entered for the viva, I witnessed most of the panelists unattentive and busy with whispering and side-talks. One member, Mr Bharti asked me the meaning of my surname. As I told him honestly that I didn’t know, he insisted that I did but was not making it open. Then, he too joined the whispering on some different subject with his fellow panelists. (Khizar Mohammad) Wani Sahib asked me two questions about the Mutiny of 1857.  I replied with precision. That ended the 7-minute session and I was asked to vacate”, Guroo said.

According to him, the last stage of the competition i.e. Personality Test is never intended to judge a candidate’s subject or general knowledge. Preliminary is actually meant for that. During the personality test, panelists are supposed to evaluate the overall behaviour, attitude and mannerism of a candidate. For example, they have to see how a candidate explains his lack of knowledge about the Mutiny. But, most of the candidates are dropped with the argument that they failed to give correct answers to the questions.

Yasin was appearing in his M.A. Final when brother, Shaukat, sisper-in-law Afshan, and cousin, Afzal, were arrested by Police in Delhi for their alleged involvement in arranging a house for a militant who later died during an attack on the Parliament in December 2001. He had to leave the examination half-way and spent years in arranging counsels and other support to his detained relatives but not before facing repetitive raids at home by different Police and security agencies. Thaw came when a court granted Shaukat’s and Afshan’s release in 2006. Shaukat was finally released earlier this year.

Yasin spent year 2008 and 2009 completely with his coaching and preparations for CCS examination. He was appointed as a government school-teacher in 2009 but, due to the hassles repeatedly created by different Police and security agencies he could not get his character verification certificate from CID for 18 long months. It was finally issued on February 2, 2011, when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah came out with a refrain that verification and travel documents could not be frozen or held back to relatives of subversive elements.

Dreams of Yasin-- and his entire family--- to join the civil service have been shattered when he found himself stumped out despite standing among toppers on the Main examination.

END

KAS selection: 70% fair, 30% unfair

Members, Secretary managed to take away their share

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR: May 4: It is for the Government of Jammu & Kashmir and the Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) to explain why an officer of the rank of Additional Secretary was not appointed to replace Ghulam Hassan Mir as Controller and what was the compulsion in not only retaining Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari as Secretary of PSC but also assigning to him an additional charge last year. Even after Bukhari’s disobedience to accept his posting as DC of Kupwara, as ordered by Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet in May 2010, he continued to retain the dual charge of Controller. PSC also needs to explain why it did not use the option of recording the personality tests of different selections on camera in a state of alienation where credibility of the government institutions stands arguably at the lowest in the country.

Almost all the 392 candidates, who were selected and appointed for Combined Administrative Services last month, understandably insist that the selection was “fair”. Thousands of those who failed to make it to the prestigious services swear that it was “unfair”. An objective analysis by Early Times, however, finds the truth somewhere in between: 70 percent fair and 30 percent unfair.

Selected candidates refer to failure of the children of some high profile men in politics, bureaucracy and judiciary---including the daughter of a judge of J&K High Court---to establish the fairness of the selection process. “It’s true of everywhere: failed candidates always blame the selectors and the system with one or the other allegation”, said a candidate who is now taking training in public administration at IMPA, Srinagar.

Those, who failed, or were allegedly dropped, have a story in contrast. According to them, corruption, nepotism and favouritism was evident in more than 150 cases. Fact that everybody learned about the marks obtained in Mains is their supportive evidence. “I did the best but was dropped. I refused to pay money as I was one among the toppers in the Mains. However, one of my relatives did the needful and managed to change his service from inferior to a superior one before the final list came out”, said one Sajjad Ahmed.

If another ‘dropped’ candidate is to be believed, Secretary of PSC, Ashraf Bukhari, managed to select a number of his relatives and children of close acquaintances. Asked for a specific example, the candidate asserted that Bukhari’s close relative, Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah (Roll No: 1702189) S/o Syed Ghulam Nabi Shah [address given: c/o CTO office of Additional Commissioner Commercial Taxes Kashmir] secured just 946 marks out of 1950 in the Mains. He required 105 out of 250 in the viva for inclusion among the candidates selected from RBA category, whose cut off stood at 1051. Sajjad Shah, who figured at No: 279 in the Mains merit list, was granted 140---almost at par with the topper of all categories, Chewang Gyaltson, who got a lofty 1218 in the Mains and just 145 in the viva.

Gyaltson is among nine brilliant candidates who have been simultaneously selected by UPSC for more prestigious All India services. He is joining Indian Forest Service but hopeful to also make it to the most prestigious IAS---like another son of the soil, Dr Shahid Iqbal.

PSC Member Javed Makhdoomi’s daughter, Shadab Makhdoomi, has already become cynosure of many in bureaucracy, and now also in media, for her miracle of topping in the viva with 205 marks. Much like Sajjad Shah’s 946, she had got a poor 952 in the Mains. She now happens to be at No:5 among the candidates selected for J&K State Accounts Service. Similarly, Tehleela Asmat of Baramulla (Roo No: 0700072), who stood at extreme tail-end of the Mains merit list with just 941 marks (rank 173), was awarded 200. With total of 1141 marks, she now figures at 27^th position in the State Accounts Service.

Exactly like Shadab and Tehleela, Shah Umar of Sanat Nagar (Roll No: 090633), who stood at rank 162 in the Mains with a dismal 945 out of 1950, has been awarded 200 out of 250 in the viva and this selected for KPS.

According to the failed candidates, PSC Member Masood Samoon’s relative, Zahid Samoon (RBA), who got just 898 in Mains and required 106 to reach the RBA cut off, was awarded 115 in the viva. He stood at rank 347^th in the Mains and now figures at serial No: 74 among the candidates picked up for KPS. However, it could not be verified immediately from independent sources whether the selected candidate was the PSC member’s relative or simply a fellow villager in Gurez.

J&K State SSRB Chairman Bua Dutta Bhagat’s daughter, Priyadarshani Gautam (Roll No: 1800889), who got 954 in the Mains required 47 marks to reach the SC category’s cut off 1001. She is found to have given 115. She now stands at rank No: 192 in the KAS. Candidates, as also many others in the government, attribute Ms Gautam’s success to her father’s reciprocity of obliging the PSC members and officials in recruitment of non-gazetted services at SSRB.

On the other hand, a number of highly meritorious candidates have been dropped in the final selection.

A socially and economically backward,Khursheed Ahmed S/o Inayat Hussain (Roll No: 1702005) of Poonch required just 41 marks to reach the ST cut off 1006. Mercilessly, he is granted 40 and taken out of the competition.

Perhaps the most pathetic story is that of Doabgah Sopore’s Yasin Guroo (Roll No: 1101283) who got the dream score of 1063 marks and stood at rank 28^th in the Mains. He needed just 65 marks to reach the Open Merit cut off i.e. 1128 marks. He has been awarded incredibly lowest of 30 marks in the interview and taken out of the competition, allegedly to clear way for influential candidates and blue-eyed boys and girls like Shadab, Tehleela, Samoon and Priyadarshani.

Asrar Ahmed S/o Mehtab Din (Roll No: 1102270) has survived the PSC selectors’ cruelty. He was awarded the lowest of 20 marks in viva. As Asrar had got as many as 1130 and stood at No: 6 in the Mains merit list, his selection was not subservient to the sweet will of the selectors. As against the ALC category’s final cut off of 1128 marks, Asrar had got 1130 in the Mains i.e. two more than the final cut off. Notwithstanding the obvious injustice, he stands at No: 120 among the merit list of KAS candidates. Luck favoured him decisively at the Mains level like Salam-ud-din of Koteranka Rajouri (Roll No: 2002515) who got an impressive 1100 in the Mains but was granted just 40 in the interview. He, anyway, required, 28 only to reach the ST cut off.

While justifying it all, Chairman of PSC, S L Bhat, is reported to have told local news agency KNS that many of the candidates have passed with just 20 marks and many others have failed despite getting 200 in the viva. He is also reported to have said that Shabad Makhdoomi had topped in the Preliminary. The dropped candidates reverted that Preliminary was just a screening test and its marks neither declared not counted in the selection tally. They claimed that part of Chairman’s statement holds true in case of just five or six candidates and, according to them, there was a plethora of data and evidence to establish that corruption, favoutism and nepotism were the key features of the selection.

END

PSC’s KAS selection process too under the cloud

HC Judgment: Wrongs, if any done in KAS selection, can’t be used to justify illegality of VAS selection

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 3: Mr Justice Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain’s judgment on setting aside Public Service Commission’s illegal selection of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons (VASs) is likely to have a potentially negative impact on the PSC’s recent selection of candidates for Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS). Ironically the argument of clubbing of the posts of VASs in two different services of Animal Husbandry Department and Sheep Husbandry Department was projected in High Court by PSC itself with a reference to the Combined Services Examinations in the Administrative Services.

As already reported in this newspaper, Mr Justice Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain has summarily quashed entire selection of 55 VASs. After conducting the two selection processes almost simultaneously, PSC had issued notification of the final selection of 55 VASs on 07-02-2011 and 392 candidates for Jammu & Kashmir Combined Services, commonly known as KAS, on 17-02-2011. The aggrieved candidates filed a writ petition, SWP No: 310/2011, in J&K High Court and Mr Justice Hasnain Masoodi stayed the recruitment process at the entry level on 23-02-2011. Interestingly the judgment came on the World Veterinary Day on April 29^th.

The private respondents’ counsel, Mr Zaffar Ahmed Shah, and PSC’s attorney, advocate Azhar-ul-Amin (Additional Advocate General), offered arguments in favour of PSC’s act of clubbing 28 vacancies of Animal Husbandry Department and 27 vacancies of Sheep Husbandry Department. During the course of over two-month-long proceedings, defending counsels asserted that there was nothing wrong in clubbing the vacancies when the prescribed qualifications were identical for both the services. They also argued that after utilizing the option of choosing either of the services and participating in the screening tests and the viva voce, the petitioners had no right to seek dismissal of the entire selection process.

The petitioners’ counsel, advocate Altaf Hassan Naik, made a counter-argument that the vacancies of the two different departments could be clubbed in no circumstances until same was provided specifically in Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (Business and Procedure) Rules, 1980. According to him, Animal Husbandry Gazetted Service and Sheep Husbandry Gazetted Service are two different services, having two separate recruit rules. Animal Husbandry Gazetted Service is governed by the Jammu & Kashmir Animal Husbandry (Gazetted) Service Recruitment Rules, 1988, which were made vide SRO-359 of 1988 and which came into force on 1-12-1988. On the other hand, Sheep Husbandry (Gazetted) Service is governed by the Jammu & Kashmir Sheep Husbandry (Gazetted) Service Recruitment Rules, 1980, which were made vide SRO-119 of 1987 and which came into force on 6-03-1987.

“It was states by the respondents that there was no wrong in combining the vacancies from different services and the Commission has been doing so and has made various selections through this mode. Reference in this behalf has been made to the Combined Services Examinations in the Administrative Services”, Mr Justice Imtiyaz Hussain records in his judgment.

Justice Hussain adds: “I do not find combining of vacancies from entirely different services can be allowed if there is no express provision in the rules notwithstanding the fact that qualification required for the posts is the same. If something wrong has been done, for which there is no provision in the rules, that cannot be used as an example to perpetuate an illegality. In any case, those cases are not before me and it is difficult for me to comment if there was violation of any rules regarding these selections. Respondents, however, cannot take advantage of any illegality, if there is any”.

“Animal Husbandry Service and Veterinary Service are altogether different services with separate cadre strength and method of recruitment for various posts higher than the Assistant Surgeon. The services have got altogether different hierarchy and the very fact that different service recruitment rules have been framed for the two services would show that the two services cannot be mixed up together. Qualifications for the posts at the entry level are same. Technically that may be so but when the appointment is made, the candidate goes to entirely a different service and the two services do not have any connection at all. Keeping in view the different nature of job, even the experts for the interview should be different, having specialization in their respective field. Mixing up of selection processes cannot be allowed on the ground of convenience of the Selection Body”, Justice Hussain records.

“Selection for various posts under Combined Service Rules is entirely a different matter as there are specific rules for the same. Existence of separate rules for this purpose would itself show that vacancies from different services cannot be combined unless the rules contain a specific provision for the same. Since combination of vacancies has rendered the whole process of selection as bad in law, I find the whole process can be set aside on this ground alone and that there is no need to consider other grounds raised in the petition. In the circumstances, this petition is allowed and the process of selection conducted on Notice 4-6-2010 is set aside”, Justice Hussain records while ordering dismissal of PSC’s entire selection process.

As detailed in a series or reports exclusively in Early Times, a large number of high merit candidates, including top positions holders and 41 toppers in the merit short list out of first 50, had been dropped by the PSC. While as only 9 candidates were selected from the 50 toppers, as many as 46 were picked up from Serial No 51 to Serial No: 210. Clubbing of the vacancies of two different departments facilitated the PSC selectors to invite as many as 210 candidates (1:7 formula) for the interview. Had the process be conducted, as now ordered by High Court, legally---separately for the two departments--- maximum of 105 candidates (1:7 formula) would have appeared in the interview. In that case, PSC selectors would have been left with no choice but to select only the high merit candidates from S No: 1 to S No: 105.

This highly controversial process was conducted by the PSC members, Dr H L Goswami and Khizar Mohammad Wani, who were assisted by the subject expert, namely Dr Hafeez.

END

When Cabinet rejected proposal to designate Bukhari as PSC’s CEO

Chairman didn’t relieve his confidante, made him Secretary-cum-Controller

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 2: Connections of the high-flying bureaucrat, Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari, can be gauged from his audacity of refusing to join as Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara when Omar Abdullah’ cabinet ordered a major administrative reshuffle in May 2010. Incumbent DC Kupwara, Shaukat Ahmed Mir, who required urgent cardiac treatment and had proceeded on leave, was airlifted and dropped back in Kupwara when the Government failed to implement the Cabinet order. On May 31, 2010, Bukhari had been removed as Secretary of Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) and appointed as DC Kupwara.

Chairman of the PSC, S L Bhat, according to informed sources in the state administration, refused to relieve his confidante with the hackneyed argument that Bukhari’s transfer could badly affect the working at PSC. However, the chemistry between the two being more than normal is evident from the fact that Bhat also managed to banish Bukhari’s bete noire and Controller of Examinations, Ghulam Hassan Mir. He even prevailed upon then Chief Secretary, Sham Singh Kapur, and ensured that none of the additional secretaries to Government was appointed as the new Controller at PSC.

Even when Mir was on leave, Chairman assigned the additional charge of Controller to the Secretary. Mir returned but Chairman Bhat desired Bukhari to continue as Controller “till further orders”. Mir was finally packed off back to Civil Secretariat as Special Secretary in Housing & Urban Development Department. This accomplished the task of the abortion of Mohammad Shafi Pandit’s concept of keeping two different officials as Secretary and Controller.

Bhat’s predecessor, Mr Pandit, according to sources, was keen that Secretary, like all others, should not know about the marks obtained by the candidates in written examinations and screening tests. Pandit’s apprehension was that Secretary could influence the final selection process if he knew how many marks exactly a candidate needed in viva voce to pass.

On account of the special services provided to certain influential politicians and bureaucrats, that include selection of the wives of some Ministers’ Special Assistants as Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, this high-flying IAS officer is now demanding the posting of his choice. Sources said efforts were currently in progress to ensure a “prize posting” for the PSC Secretary who has a short list of priorities----DC Budgam, Commissioner Commercial Taxes (charge temporarily with Commissioner Excise G A Pir) or Special Secretary in General Administration Department (GAD).

With the blessings of Kapur---and a couple of Ministers---Bukhari dictated terms to the Government for several years. How he cajoles the new Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, remains to be seen.

Months before Kapur’s retirement in February this year, Chairman Bhat wanted Additional Advocate General, Ali Mohammad Magray, to be appointed as PSC’s Standing Counsel. The proposal was botched up in the wake of stiff resistance from a couple of Members. With vengeance, Bhat mooted the proposal of delegating unto himself all administrative powers. To accomplish the mission, he mooted the proposal of designating the Secretary as “Secretary-cum-CEO”. As expected, the proposal was electrically cleared and pushed forward by both, Secretary of Law as well as Commissioner-Secretary GAD, besides then Chief Secretary.

However, it did not find favour with majority of the Ministers when it came up for consideration in a Cabinet meeting in January. Ministers, critical of Bhat’s “corporate move”, warned that Secretary’s new designation and administrative powers would completely marginalize the Members who were, in no way, inferior to Chairman except for constitution of the interview boards, appointment of subject experts and power to a decisive vote in case of a tie.

It is widely being pointed out that even the Commission’s website in the “Members Profile” link carries only the biodata of Secretary and two members---Roop Lal Bharti and Dr H L Goswami---both retiring later this month. There is no mention of others---S L Bhat, Manzoor Ahmed Bhat, Masood Samoon, Khizar Mohammad Wani and K B Jandial.

END

HISTORIC JUDGMENT

High Court quashes entire selection of Veterinary Surgeons

Early Times campaign against PSC’s fraudulent process vindicated

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 1: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remained in a denial mode with his dismissive Tweet on day one of the Early Times series and Governor, Narendra Nath Vohra, did not make the autonomous Jammu & Kashmir Public Service (PSC) accountable on the oath administered to its members, in the last three months. Jammu & Kashmir High Court, however, restored the faith of hundreds of thousands of the state’s students and job aspirants in the state’s democratic institutions when it summarily quashed entire process of PSC’s selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons (VASs) the other day in Srinagar.

PSC had issued the selection list on February 17^th, 2011. As scores of highly meritorious candidates found that almost all of them had been dropped and candidates of poor performance had been instead picked up from the tail-end of the merit shortlist, they submitted a detailed representation to Chief Minister, explaining, therein, how merit had been brazenly marred and the PSC selectors, according to them, had stooped to unprecedented unfair means---including interviewing and selecting their own relatives.

With nobody listening to the aggrieved candidates and most of the media organizations refusing to take cudgels with the PSC, these candidates approached Early Times---state’s only newspaper that does not survive on government advertisements. This newspaper singularly investigated and documented a slew of irregularities that had been practiced during the selection process and, accordingly, published a series of stories with the objective of enforcing reforms in the selection process.

PSC thankfully amended two of the key rules, curtailing the marks reserved for viva voce but still did not make it at par with the competitive selections processes conducted by UPSC and other selection agencies. It maintained that no irregularity had been practiced and claimed that the selection of VASs had been conducted in a clean and transparent manner.

Rather than reviewing the process objectively and in a judicious manner, the PSC Secretary characteristically threatened to silence this newspaper with “legal action”. The aggrieved candidates also approached State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) and Crime Branch and beseeched these executive organs to launch an investigation into the charges---including money transactions through RTGS---leveled by them. As both of the government organizations kept the ball tossing on each other, the candidates filed a petition in the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Srinagar, who directed SVO to carry on the investigation.

With no action being visible at SVO--- now sarcastically known as an organisation to round up Patwaris and clerks--- the aggrieved candidates approached J&K High Court with the prayer that the entire selection process be quashed and PSC be directed to hold the exercise afresh. On its first hearing on February 23^rd, Mr Justice Hasnain Masoodi stayed the selection and directed Chief Secretary, Commissioner-Secretary General Administration Department (GAD) and Commissioner-Secretary Animal and Sheep Husbandry not to issue any order of formal recruitment of the selected candidates till subsequent hearing.

After two months of arguments and counter-arguments, Mr Justice Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain on Friday quashed the entire selection list and issued orders to the PSC as prayed for by the petitioners. Former Advocate General and senior Advocate, Altaf H Naik, represented the petitioners in the High Court. The court terminated the selection for a variety of irregularities, particularly the PSC’s unjustified act of combining the 30 vacancies of two independent departments---Animal Husbandry (15) and Sheep Husbandry (15)---so as to invite 210 candidates instead of 105 only in accordance to the rule in vogue.

PSC members, Khizar Mohammad Wani and Dr H L Goswami, conducted the selection process alongwith the subject expert from Andhra Pradesh, Dr Hafeez. They were assisted by PSC’s Secretary and Controller of Examinations, Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari. While as just 30 marks, out of 100, were reserved for academic merit, 50 marks were reserved for the interview, never recorded for proof of fairness. Out of remaining 20, as many as 15 marks remained nearly at the sweet will of the selectors. As against 50% in this infamous selection, not more than 15% marks are reserved for interview in most of the selection processes in the state and the country---KAS and IAS both inclusive.

It was pointed out by the complainants that most of the high merit and highly qualified candidates, who figured from serial No: 1 to 50 of the merit shortlist and who included top position holders and gold medalists of SKUAST-K, SKUAST-J had been dropped and those figuring beyond S No: 50 and 100, had been selected. Those dropped included all 35 of the state’s most brilliant veterinary graduates and post-graduates who had been selected earlier for the more prestigious and more competitive Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) on February 7^th by the same PSC.

After termination of the appointment of Dr Sheikh Jalal as Director of the prestigious Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences by Justice Imtiyaz Hussain in 2007, Friday’s termination of the PSC’s selection is being widely appreciated as a historic judgment across the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is for the first time in the last several years that PSC’s selection list has been summarily dismissed by the High Court, raising question marks on the competence, impartiality and integrity of the selectors.

Early Times received hundreds of appreciation messages through e-mail, SMS and the social networking sites, FaceBook and Twitter. Senders, who are predominantly students and youth in search of government jobs, besides their parents and people from all walks of civil society emphasized that justice must be ensured in all institutions. Many of them stressed that Governor and Chief Minister must take necessary corrective measures to streamline the selection processes at PSC and thus restore the credibility of this vital institution.

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