JAMMU, Oct. 5
The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered a fresh departmental inquiry against Junior Engineer (REW) Arshad Amin, who was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in connection with a corruption case registered in 2021.
The fresh proceedings were ordered after the Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Department rejected an earlier inquiry report submitted by the Assistant Commissioner Development, Kishtwar, finding it unsatisfactory.
The department has now decided to proceed on the basis of the charge memorandum already served on Amin by the Rural Development Department.
According to the government order, Shivangi Gupta has been appointed Inquiry Officer, while Suresh Bharti will serve as the Presenting Officer in the departmental proceedings.
The newly constituted inquiry team has been directed to complete the proceedings within one month.
The decision effectively reopens the departmental examination of the allegations against Amin after the government declined to accept the findings of the previous inquiry.
Amin, a Junior Engineer associated with the Rural Engineering Wing, had earlier been arrested by the ACB in connection with the corruption case registered in 2021.
The departmental inquiry is separate from the criminal investigation and proceedings arising from the ACB case. Its purpose is to examine the employee’s conduct under the applicable service rules on the basis of the charges already framed by the department.
The government’s decision to reject the earlier report is significant because it indicates that the previous departmental examination did not satisfactorily address the issues requiring determination.
Rather than accepting that report as the conclusion of the administrative process, the Public Works Department has constituted a new inquiry mechanism to examine the charge memorandum afresh.
The Inquiry Officer will conduct the proceedings, examine the material placed before the inquiry and provide the charged official an opportunity to respond in accordance with the applicable departmental procedure.
The Presenting Officer will represent the departmental case during those proceedings.
The one-month deadline also indicates that the government wants the long-pending disciplinary process brought to a conclusion without further delay.
The underlying corruption case dates back to 2021, meaning the matter has remained under consideration for several years.
The fresh inquiry does not itself establish Amin’s guilt. Any departmental finding will depend on the evidence examined during the proceedings and the conclusions reached by the Inquiry Officer.
The government order, however, makes clear that the previous inquiry report will not be treated as satisfactory disposal of the matter.
The immediate next step will be for the newly appointed Inquiry Officer and Presenting Officer to conduct the proceedings on the existing charge memorandum and submit the outcome within the stipulated one-month period.
The case will consequently remain under both administrative scrutiny and the legal process arising from the original Anti-Corruption Bureau action.
