SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has terminated the services of Dr Mohammad Himayun, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at SKIMS Medical College Hospital, Bemina, over what it described as more than nine years of continuous and wilful unauthorised absence from duty.
The termination has been ordered with retrospective effect from March 1, 2017, under Government Order No. 673-JK(HME) of 2026, issued on September 3 and signed by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, M. Raju, IAS.
Dr Himayun joined SKIMS Medical College as a Lecturer in Pediatrics in 2009 and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2013.
According to the government order, he was suspended on April 30, 2015, for unauthorised absence and was subsequently reinstated on December 27, 2016, following due procedure.
Following his reinstatement, however, he attended duty for only six days in January 2017 and three days in February before remaining absent from March 1, 2017 onwards.
The Health and Medical Education Department initiated disciplinary proceedings against him. A memorandum of charges and statement of imputations were issued on November 27, 2020, and Prof Farooq Ahmad Jan, Medical Superintendent, SKIMS Soura, was appointed as the Enquiry Officer in December that year.
The Enquiry Officer submitted his report on June 12, 2021, concluding that Dr Himayun’s absence was deliberate and wilful.
The Director, SKIMS, subsequently proposed the issuance of a show-cause notice, while the General Administration Department sought the complete records before taking the matter forward.
A pre-termination notice was served on Dr Himayun on September 8, 2025, giving him 15 days to explain why his services should not be terminated.
In his response, Dr Himayun referred to personal health problems, family disputes, financial difficulties and mobility-related issues as reasons for his prolonged absence.
The government, however, held that his explanation did not displace the findings of the departmental inquiry or establish a legally admissible justification for his continued absence.
The Finance and Legal Sections of the Health and Medical Education Department subsequently examined the case and found it appropriate to proceed with termination under Articles 113 and 128 of the JK Civil Service Regulations (CSR), Volume-I.
The government also sought an updated report from the Director, SKIMS, on the officer’s whereabouts and service status. In a communication dated February 10, 2026, the Director confirmed that Dr Himayun had remained continuously absent since March 1, 2017, without returning to duty or securing permission to rejoin.
After considering the inquiry report, Dr Himayun’s response to the pre-termination notice and the opinions of the Finance and Legal Sections, the government concluded that his absence had continued for more than nine years and amounted to abandonment of government service.
The order cited Article 113 of the JK CSR, which provides for a government servant being treated as out of State employment after five years of continuous absence on leave, and Article 128, under which removal from service can be imposed as a major penalty for gross misconduct and dereliction of duty.
The government accordingly ordered the termination of Dr Mohammad Himayun’s services with effect from March 1, 2017, on the grounds of wilful and continuous unauthorised absence and abandonment of government service.
