The government of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday relieved retried IAS officer Baseer Ahmad Khan from the post of Advisor to J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.
“Pursuant to communication No. 15030/40/2019-J&K dated 4th October, 2021, of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Baseer Ahmad Khan (Retired IAS:2000) is hereby relieved from the post of Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with immediate effect,” reads a government order.
Baseer Khan’s removal from the post came all of a sudden and the reasons behind it were not immediately known.
He was Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and when he attained the age of superannuation, the government extended his service by a year in 2019, when centre abrogated special status of erstwhile state of J&K.
After his term ended, he was made the fourth advisor to Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, G C Murmu in March 2020. He was also Advisor to Murmu’s successor Manoj Sinha.
In 2009, the State Vigilance Organisation (now Anti-Corruption Bureau) registered a case against 20 people, including Baseer Khan, who was then Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, and six other top bureaucrats, for allegedly misusing their official positions to transfer state land in world famous tourist resort of Gulmarg, earmarked for development of tourist infrastructure, to private parties.
The ACB, which re-investigated the 2009 Gulmarg land scandal, in October 2020, again indicted Khan for his alleged role in the case.