Don’t do anything unbecoming of govt servant, says J-K admn circular

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 17

The J&K administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has issued a fresh order relating to holding periodic character and antecedent verification of government employees, which Opposition parties have termed as an act of creating “atmosphere of suspicion” and these needed to be reconsidered.

According to a circular issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), every government employee “is mandatorily required to maintain absolute integrity, honesty and allegiance to the Union of India and its Constitution and do nothing which is unbecoming of a government servant”.

The GAD said during periodic verification of character and antecedents of government employees, the officials should report involvement of an employee in any act of sabotage, espionage, treason, terrorism, subversion, sedition/secession, facilitating foreign interference, incitement to violence or any other unconstitutional act.

The other facets to be looked at include involvement of an individual employee’s immediate family, persons sharing residential space with the employee to whom he or she may be bound by affection, influence or obligation or involved in any of the acts, directly or indirectly, having potential of subjecting the individual to duress, thereby posing a grave security risk, the UT administration said in the circular.

CPM leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami said the orders were against the principle of “a person is innocent until proven guilty by court”. The orders, such as employee’s alleged involvement in terrorism, subversion will lead to his termination and no passport will be given to employees till they get vigilance clearance, are another set of arbitrary decisions, which need to be reconsidered.

National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the new government order was “yet another set of arbitrary decisions that undermine the perception of natural justice and basic human rights”, which are being thrusted on people of J&K.

What the admn’s order states

• Every government employee is mandatorily required to maintain absolute integrity, honesty and allegiance to the Union of India and its Constitution and do nothing which is unbecoming of a government servant
• Officials should report involvement of employees in sabotage, espionage, treason, terrorism, subversion, sedition/secession, incitement to violence, etc