SRINAGAR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of the Crime Branch, Jammu and Kashmir, has filed a chargesheet in FIR No. 76/2022 against a former Assistant Professor of SKIMS Soura, alleging that she fraudulently secured a government post by concealing her foreign citizenship.
According to officials, the chargesheet has been produced before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, under Sections 199 and 420 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) against Afshan Shabir, wife of Syed Akeel Ahmad, a resident of Shibath, Zadibal.
The case relates to allegations that Afshan, who was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, in 2019, is a United Kingdom national and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder, making her ineligible for appointment to a government post under the applicable rules.
Investigators said Afshan had applied for the post in response to Advertisement Notice No. 04 of 2015 as an in-service candidate and submitted official documents, including a State Subject Certificate, declaring herself an Indian citizen and a permanent resident of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on these declarations, she was selected and subsequently appointed.
During the investigation, the EOW examined official records such as her service book, personal file, application form and minutes of the selection committee. The probe revealed that the accused had acquired British citizenship prior to entering government service and had allegedly suppressed this information while applying for and continuing in the post. Officials said she admitted during the investigation to holding a British passport and an OCI card.
The investigation concluded that by misrepresenting her citizenship status, the accused obtained a public post through fraudulent means, resulting in wrongful gain to herself and a corresponding loss to the government. Her services were terminated through Government Order No. 23-SKIMS of 2022 dated August 20, 2022.
Following the completion of the investigation, the EOW produced the chargesheet before the competent court for judicial scrutiny and further legal proceedings.
