| Fake orders, real pay: Fraudulent teacher drew salary for 13 years | | | Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 4: For 13 years, he was on the payroll as a government employee. Now the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department says the appointment behind that salary never legally existed.
The Directorate of School Education, Kashmir (DSEK), has declared the alleged 2013 appointment of Imtiyaz Ahmed, a resident of Rawalpora, Srinagar, null and void ab initio. An inquiry found that the appointment, confirmation and promotion orders in his service record were never issued by the competent authority. The department has also ordered recovery of all financial and other benefits drawn on the basis of that appointment.
According to Order No. 347-DSEK dated September 3, 2026, Ahmed was shown as a teacher at the Boys Middle School, Gagribal, in Srinagar's Nishat area. Departmental records traced his entry to Government Order No. 395-GAD dated April 2, 2013, which placed him as a laboratory assistant. A confirmation order dated April 3, 2013, attributed to the Directorate, followed. Order No. 1004-DSEK dated July 30, 2018, then purportedly promoted him to teacher.
When the department checked these orders against its official records, it found that the competent authority had issued no such appointment, confirmation or promotion orders.
The irregularity surfaced only after Ahmed failed to return to school after the 2023-24 winter vacation. He had been absent without permission since February 21, 2024. On May 31, 2024, the Regional Education Officer, Nishat, issued a show-cause notice asking him to rejoin within seven days. The depart The DSEK has declared the alleged 2013 appointment of Imtiyaz Ahmed, a resident of Rawalpora, Srinagar, null and void ab initio. An inquiry found that the appointment, confirmation and promotion orders in his service record were never issued by the competent authority. The department has also ordered recovery of all financial and other benefits drawn on the basis of that appointment.
The Chief Education Officer (CEO), Srinagar, reported the matter to the Directorate on October 15, 2024. The Directorate then began scrutinising his service records.
Through Order No. 65-DSEK dated February 16, 2026, the Directorate appointed the CEO Srinagar as investigating officer to examine the circumstances of the appointment and the prolonged absence. The report was submitted on April 25, 2026.
On June 19, 2026, the Directorate issued a final notice. It asked Ahmed to appear in person within 15 days and produce his original appointment and promotion orders and educational certificates.
According to the order, Ahmed replied that he had been misled by certain people into a fraudulent and irregular process. He also stated that he had left the job in 2023.
Weighing the records and the inquiry report, the Directorate concluded that Ahmed's entry into the department was fraudulent and non-existent in the eyes of law. It cited rulings of the Supreme Court and the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the December 2, 2022 decision in CSA No. 13/2004, Mahmuda vs. Government of J&K and others. These hold that when an appointment is itself fraudulent, the employer need not hold a regular departmental inquiry before terminating it.
The most striking aspect of the case is the timeline. The alleged appointment dates to 2013 and the alleged promotion to 2018, yet the matter was formally examined only after the employee stopped turning up in 2024. How the orders went unchecked for so long remains unanswered in the order. |
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