J&K school board employee first to get premature retirement notice under new rules

The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has issued a notice to one of its class-iv employee Fayaz Ahmad Siraj to retire from services as he has completed 27 years of service on October 14.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to prematurely retire an employee, the first such case in the Union territory, over a month after new rules were framed to fire government staffers after he/she has completed 22 years of qualifying service or attained 48 years of age.

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The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has issued a notice to one of its class-iv employee Fayaz Ahmad Siraj to retire from services as he has completed 27 years of service on October 14.

Siraj has been allowed three month’s pay and allowance in lieu of three month’s notice.

JKBOSE chairperson Veena Pandita, while issuing the order on November 27, stated that it was in the “public interest” to do so. “Now, therefore in exercise of the power conferred by Article 226(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulation, the Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education hereby gives notice to Fayaz Ahmad Siraj, orderly that he having already completed 27 years’ service on 14-10-2020 shall retiree from service with effect from forenoon of December 1, 2020,” wrote Pandita.

Pandita did not respond to calls and messages for a comment.

In last week of October, the government had brought some changes in the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations. It had decided that the government can, if that was in the public interest, to retire any public servant after he has completed 22 years of qualifying service or attained 48 years of age. The exception to this rule is the employee working on a post which is included in Schedule II of these rules.

The authorities will have to give notice to the government servant at least three months before the date on which he is required to retire or three months of pay and allowance in lieu of such notice.

The government had said that the broad criteria to be followed by the review committee, while making the recommendations for such retirement, are doubtful integrity of the government servant or if he/she is found to be ineffective in his/her work.