Jammu: In the much publicized writ petition filed by Prof. S.K. Bhalla seeking directions to the SVO to register an FIR against the then Speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone and Secretary J&K Legislative Assembly Muhammad Ramzan for making 37 illegal/ backdoor appointments in J&K Assembly Secretariat, today took a new turn as the Inspector General of Police, State Vigilance Organization has referred the matter to the GAD for obtaining opinion and advice in the matter from the Law Department and in this connection a communication bearing No.VO-PR-PE-01/15/19080-81 dated December, 7, 2015 followed by reminder dated December, 17, 2015 was sent to General Administration Department by IGP Vigilance.
These revelations according to CNS have been made by the IGP State Vigilance Organization in a compliance report filed today in the State High Court pursuant to the directions passed by the Court vide its order dated December, 3, 2015 when after consideration of the matter directions had been issued to the IGP SVO to take a final call in the matter in view of the preliminary enquiry report filed by SVO in July, 2015 wherein it was established that 37 newly created posts for Assembly Secretariat and MLA Hostel Jammu/Srinagar were filled up without adopting any procedure by appointing candidates on pick and choose basis as no advertisement was issued for inviting applications from the eligible candidates. The SVO in its preliminary report also held that only precedences were relied upon and no criteria was framed/adopted by the then Speakers while making appointments against 37 posts. In the preliminary enquiry report the SVO further established that 37 appointments were made by 3 Former Speakers i.e. 28 appointments have been made by Mohammad Akbar Lone, 5 appointments by Tara Chand and 4 appointments by Mubarak Gul.
In the status report it is further highlighted that on the receipt of the advice and opinion from the Law Department further course of action in the matter will be taken by the IGP State Vigilance Organization.
It is worthwhile to mention herein that on a RTI disclosure Prof. S.K. Bhalla lodged a complaint with SVO seeking registration of FIR against the then Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone and Secretary J&K Legislative Assembly Mohammad Ramzan for making 37 illegal/backdoor appointments. The SVO initially closed the complaint of Prof. S.K. Bhalla on the basis of the report received from Assembly Secretariat which stated that Speaker is a competent authority to make appointments to J&K Legislative Assembly and there is a precedent in J&K Legislative Assembly that Speaker can make appointments. However the State High Court vide its detailed order dated April, 16, 2015 rejected the closure of the case and framed specific questions for SVO for a denovo preliminary enquiry report. The SVO in July, 2015 submitted the preliminary enquiry report which prima facie established a employment scam in J&K Legislative Assembly and in the report it was disclosed that no procedure was adopted by the three Speakers while making appointments against 37 newly created posts.
After considering the matter on the last date of hearing i.e. December, 3, 2015, Justice Bansi Lal Bhat had directed IGP State Vigilance Organization to take a final call on the report and decide future course of action within two weeks and pursuant to the said directions the IGP State Vigilance Organization today filed a compliance report in the State High Court disclosing that the preliminary enquiry involved questions of law which needed the opinion of the Law Department in terms of J&K Government Business Rules as such the matter has been referred to GAD for obtaining opinion and advice in the matter from the Law Department. (CNS)
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