Five chargesheeted over alleged forged appointment orders in J&K Education Department

Chargesheet filed in Budgam court

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of the Crime Branch J&K has filed a chargesheet against five persons in a case involving the alleged fabrication and use of forged transfer and adjustment orders to secure appointments as teachers in the Education Department, officials said on Wednesday. The chargesheet was presented before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Budgam, in FIR No. 36/2021, registered under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 201 and 120-B RPC.

The accused have been identified as Nisar Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Iqbal Colony Tral, Pulwama; Shakir Gull, a resident of Kachdoora, Shopian; Mohammad Ayaz Rather of Takipora, Ratnipora, Shopian; Sheikh Ruhail Ahmad, a resident of Kachdoora, Shopian; and Tanveer Ahmad Rather, a resident of Khudpora Mowgam, Anantnag, according to reports from the Daily Excelsior and Greater Kashmir.

Origin of the case

The case originated from a communication received from the Director, School Education Kashmir, regarding three persons who had joined as teachers in Zone Nagam, Charar-i-Sharief, Budgam, on the basis of purported transfer/adjustment orders allegedly issued by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir. Following the communication, a probe was ordered.

During the investigation, the questioned orders were found to bear forged signatures as well as fabricated order and dispatch/endorsement numbers, the Crime Branch said. Records obtained from the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Nagam and the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Budgam confirmed that Mohammad Ayaz Rather, Sheikh Ruhail Ahmad and Tanveer Ahmad Rather had been transferred or adjusted on the basis of the questioned documents.

Investigation findings

Verification conducted with the Directorate of School Education Kashmir further established that its order book had been closed as on December 31, 2019, indicating that the order and endorsement numbers mentioned in the documents were fictitious. The investigation also revealed that the three individuals had never been appointed anywhere in the Education Department, according to the Crime Branch.

The EOW said the probe further found that accused Nisar Ahmad Bhat, a teacher, and Shakir Gull allegedly acted as facilitators or intermediaries in the matter. It was also alleged that Bhat arranged the means and machinery for fabrication and printing of the forged official documents.

The EOW said the allegations were found substantiated during the investigation and the chargesheet was accordingly presented before the court for judicial determination. The reports did not mention when the court would take up the case, and no comments from the accused or their legal representatives were cited.