The government on Friday terminated the services of two government employees, for their alleged anti-national activities by invoking Article 311 of constitution of India.
The dismissed employees have been identified as Zahir Abbas, a school teacher from Kishtwar district of Jammu , and Abdul Rehman Naika, a pharmacist with the Health and Medical Education Department and a resident of Devsar, Kulgam, in South Kashmir.
Abdul Rehman Naika, a resident of Devsar, Kulgam, was appointed as a Medical Assistant in 1992.
Zahir Abbas, a teacher from Badhat Saroor, Kishtwar, had been serving as a teacher since 2012.
The two employees were sacked by the government by invoking Article 311(2)(C) of the Constitution, which empowers the government to dismiss employees without seeking an explanation or conducting an inquiry into their conduct.
This marks the first instance of such dismissals since Omar Abdullah assumed office as Chief Minister. However, Omar's government is likely to have no role in these terminations as the law and order comes directly under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Over the past four years, more than 70 government employees in J&K have been dismissed under Article 311(2)(C), with the latest action reflecting the government’s stringent stance on ensuring state security.
This is the first such dismissal order since the Omar Abdullah-led government.
Article 311 allows the government to remove employees without a formal inquiry in cases deemed critical to the state's security.
Recently, former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti had written to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, seeking an immediate review of the termination of government employees dismissed by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.