Chief Secretary-led panels to review suspension cases of JKAS, JKPS officers

Jammu, Nov 17: Chief Secretary-led two panels will periodically review the cases of suspension of officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) and Jammu and Kashmir Police (gazetted) Service (JKPS).

Five-member separate review-panels have been constituted for JKAS and JKPS officers, in supersession of all previous orders or circulars and pursuant to the government instructions under Rule 31 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956.

In this connection, all Administrative Secretaries have been asked to furnish brief notes in respect of suspended officers or officials of their respective departments to the General Administration Department for placing their cases before the concerned review committee.

Besides, the other suspension cases of officers or officials of the departments will be reviewed by the concerned departments at their own level by constituting review committees in their respective departments. However, they will have to keep the GAD informed about the outcome of such reviews.

It has been cautioned that the review committees and departments will ensure that periodic reviews of suspension cases are held as per the Rules and Supreme Court and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines, as applicable.

In case of JKAS officers, besides the Chief Secretary as its chairman, the five-member committee will comprise the Administrative Secretaries of Home and Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs as its members while the Administrative Secretary General Administration Department will be its member secretary. The Administrative Secretary of the concerned department will be the special invitee.

However, in case of JKPS officers, the panel, headed by the Chief Secretary, will have Administrative Secretary, Home Department as its member secretary. The Director General of Police and the Administrative Secretaries of the General Administration Department and the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs will be its members.

As per its mandate, the panel formed to review suspension cases of JKAS officers will, besides any other matter which the Chief Secretary may like to discuss, revisit the cases of gazetted officers of different departments placed under suspension for their alleged involvement in the vigilance cases; non-gazetted officials involved in a vigilance case, if they belong to more than one department and non-gazetted officials of different departments placed under suspension after being caught red handed while demanding and accepting illegal gratification (trap cases).

The committee has also been tasked to reconsider cases of employees both gazetted and non-gazetted, who have been placed under suspension for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

As per Rule 31 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956; the appointing authority or any authority to which it is subordinate or any other authority empowered by the government in this behalf, may place a government servant under suspension where an inquiry into his conduct is contemplated or is pending; or a complaint against him of any criminal offence is under investigation or trial.

A government servant, who is detained in custody whether on a criminal charge or otherwise, for a period longer than forty-eight hours, is deemed to have been suspended by the appointing authority under this rule.

An order of suspension under sub-rule (1) may be revoked at any time by the authority making the order or by any authority to which it is subordinate.