Srinagar
The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday produced its first chargesheet in the special anti-corruption court against 23 officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank for making illegal appointments in the premier financial institution.
The charge-sheet was filed against 17 officials of the bank – 12 in service and five retired – including its two former chairmen Sheikh Mushtaq and Parvez Ahmed Nengroo, and six beneficiaries before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Srinagar, a spokesman of the anti-graft body said.
The next date of hearing has been fixed for January 27, 2020.
The ACB had registered an FIR No 10/2019 in CB Police Station Srinagar following reliable inputs that the bank had created “unprecedented and illegal practice” by making more than 3000 backdoor appointments clandestinely including their kith and kin.
“These illegal appointments were made contrary to the rules and norms governing the subject,” the spokesman said.
In June this year, the Jammu Kashmir administration had unceremoniously removed Nengroo from the chair following which Rajesh Kumar Chibber was appointed chairman of the JK’s premier financial institution.
On June 8, the anti-graft body raided the bank’s corporate headquarters here, and, during searches, the officials seized documents pertaining to the illegal appointments from various sections of the bank – Human Resources Section, Recruitment Section, other related offices of recruitment section and office of the Chairman J&K Bank.
The ACB scrutinized the seized documents wherein it surfaced that from year 2011 onward, 2500 backdoor appointments were illegally and fraudulently made by the chairmen of the time, the spokesman said.
“Consequently, a thorough probe was ordered to unearth this illegal appointment scam so that corrective measures are taken by the bank to put an end to such illegal practice,” he said adding the allegation were established against the bank officials.
The spokesman said the case was sent to the Government for accord of prosecution sanction which was received against in-service employees.
The in-service employees charge-sheeted in the case are Ayoub Wanchoo, the then vice president corporate headquarters, presently Zonal Head Office, Anantnag; Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, the then Vice President HRDD corporate headquarters, presently Vice President Deposit Liability Management corporate headquarters; Showkat Ahmad Bhat, the then Executive HRDD, presently Senior Executive at RCC Delhi; Mohammad Yahya Rafiqui, the then Executive HRDD, presently Senior Executive Branch Unit Alamgiri Bazar Srinagar; Arshad Hussain Dar, Executive HRDD, presently vice President J&K Bank Financial Services Ltd corporate headquarters; Asif Iqbal Raja, the then Senior Executive HRDD corporate headquarters, presently at RCC Srinagar; Syed Irfan Latief, the then Executive HRDD central office, presently Executive at Branch Unit Nalamar Road Srinagar; Parvaiz Ahmad Baba, Executive HRDD corporate headquarters, Srinagar; Mohammad Maqbool Lone, President HRDD corporate headquarters, Srinagar; Imran Mattoo, the then Junior Executive HRDD corporate headquarters, presently Associate Executive J&K Bank Branch Upper Sahu Srinagar; Shakoor Ahmad Bhat, Senior Executive corporate headquarters Srinagar, presently Senior Executive Customer Care, corporate headquarters, Srinagar; Mohammad Aslam Ganie, the then Assistant Vice President HRDD corporate headquarters, Srinagar, presently Head Cluster Office, Pulwama.
Apart from the 12 serving employees of the bank, the case has been proved against five retired employees of the bank including Sheikh Mushtaq and Nengroo.
The other retired bank employees charge sheeted in the case are Abdul Rouf Bhat of Hakeem Bagh, Rawalpora, the then Executive President; Vagish Chander Sharma of Sawran Bihar Police Colony Jammu, the then Executive President HRD; Abdul Rashid Shigan of S D Colony Batmaloo Srinagar, the then executive president.
The six beneficiaries who have been charge-sheeted in the case are banking attendants Mohammad Iqbal Wani of Tulwari, Lanhgatein, Handwara; Waseem Mehraj of Sidiq Colony Sopore; Assistant Banking Associate, Anjuman Ara of Watapora Bandipora; Banking Attendant Faizan Ayaz of Patushia Bandipora; Assistant Banking Associate Mushtaq Ahmad Mir of Panjgam Bandipora and Haameem Nusrat of Chawalgam, Kulgam at present HIG colony Bemina Srinagar Bank Code No. 018250.
He said the chargesheet has been filed in the special anti-corruption court for making illegal appointments in the bank in 2011 and onwards.
