Jammu:The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday terminated the services of a forest guard for furnishing fake certificates to get the appointment, an official spokesman said.Kewal Krishan Sharma was also arrested in 2017 by the vigilance department in an alleged disproportionate assets case.Sharma”s case was forwarded to the principal chief conservator of forest and the matter was found to be of furnishing of fake and fraudulent qualification certificates and other acts of omission and commission, the forest department said in an order.”Whereas, in the matter of securing appointment by the official on the basis of fake qualification certificate, the law department has advised that any appointment based on a fake certificate, which forms the basic eligibility, is non-est in the eyes of law,” it said.During the NC-Congress government in Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma had served as public relation officer to former deputy chief minister Tara Chand.The order said that the grave acts of omission and commission, having overtones of criminal intent, have been established by investigating agencies and are being dealt with by the competent authorities.The aspect that the appointment has been obtained by Sharma through fraudulent means, needs to be dealt with in accordance with the principles laid down by the Supreme court in various judgments, it said.The order reads that based on the facts of the case, the department has decided that the official is fit for termination from service.”Now, in light of the entire background of the case and the very fact that the official has secured appointment on the basis of fake and fraudulent certificate, thus lacking the basic eligibility to hold a civil post, and consequently, he is not entitled to any safeguards given to a civil servant, under Article 311 of the Constitution of India or those provided under Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956,” the order said.Therefore, the services of Sharma, a forest guard, are hereby terminated, it said.
