A batch of Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) officers has flagged the issue of “tweaking of service rules in J&K to induct blue-eyed officers into a seniority list, who will become eligible for the Indian Administrative Services postings,” and has written a formal complaint to the General Administration Department (GAD).
A senior officer wrote a letter, accessed by The Hindu, to the Commissioner Secretary, GAD, on August 8 and expressed objection to the ad hoc seniority list issued in April.
Absolute whims and caprices
“It appears that some of the officers from feeding services who were having reach in the corridors of the Civil Secretariat managed their postings on officiating basis in the time scale of administrative services on pick and choose basis, on the absolute whims and caprices with no respect for sub-rule 2 of Rule 9 of the Administrative Service Rules of 1979,” reads the letter.
According to the letter, the KAS Rules 1979 did not provide for utilisation of leave and training reserve vacancies for making induction to the time scale in favour of those for whom slots were not available in their respective feeding departments.
“Yet the induction of eligible officers was delayed despite availability of slots and 49 undeserving officers were inducted despite non-availability of slots,” it reads.
J&K has formulated a seniority list of 138 KAS officers “as per the new tweaked rules”, which is likely to push many officers from the 1999 batch down.
In another representation made to the GAD, an officer pointed out that the Committee constituted by the GAD in April had “envisaged to adopt a new set of principles for re-drawing the seniority list of the members”.
“Bound to create new tensions”
“This is bound to create new tensions, new disruption; and a logical consequence thereof would be generation of a new set of affected and disgruntled members,” the representation reads.
Another principle laid down by a government committee has relied upon for determining the seniority the parameter of age. “Many shortcomings of this [age] parameters have been highlighted in our earlier representations…The solution has to be found in terms of the rules which are currently in vogue and in a manner which is just, fair and reasonable, both in letter and spirit,” it said.
