J&K admin requires employees to maintain absolute integrity, honesty, allegiance to India

A circular mandated that employees do nothing which is unbecoming of a government servant

Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday issued a slew of instructions to officials while carrying out periodic character and antecedents verification of government employees including failure to report any immediate family member who is associated with any foreign entity hostile to India.

According to a circular issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), every government employee is mandatorily required to maintain absolute integrity, honesty and allegiance to the Union of India and its Constitution and do nothing which is unbecoming of a government servant.

The GAD said during periodic verification of character and antecedents of government employees, the officials should report involvement of an employee in any act of sabotage, espionage, treason, terrorism, subversion, sedition/secession, facilitating foreign interference, incitement to violence or any other unconstitutional act.

The authorities have been asked also to report association or sympathy of any employee with persons who are attempting to commit any of the above acts or involved in aiding or abetting or advocating the above acts.

The other facets to be looked at include involvement of an individual's immediate family, persons sharing residential space with the employee to whom he or she may be bound by affection, influence, or obligation or involved in any of the acts, directly or indirectly, having potential of subjecting the individual to duress, thereby posing a grave security risk, as per the circular.

"Failure to report relatives, persons sharing residential space or associates who are connected with any foreign government, associations, foreign nationals known to be directly or indirectly hostile to India's national and security interests," it read.

The directions also include the failure to report unauthorised association with a suspected or known collaborator or employee of a foreign intelligence service among the criteria to be followed.

"Reports indicating that representatives or nationals from a foreign country are acting to increase the vulnerability of the individual to possible future exploitation, coercion or report contacts with citizens of other countries or financial interests in other countries which make an individual potentially vulnerable to coercion, exploitation, or pressure by a foreign Government," the circular said.

The GAD said on the basis of discrete verifications on the above parameters, a list of adversely reported employees received by the government from time to time shall be taken into cognisance by the administrative departments concerned which shall then immediately report it to the General Administration Department.

"In the event, such employee(s) are due for promotion, their cases shall be put on hold immediately. Further, such cases shall be submitted to the UT Level Screening Committee constituted for the purpose, for a decision.

"On confirmation of the adverse report by the UT Level Screening Committee, further action shall be taken against the adversely reported employee(s), which may include termination from Government services," it added.

The decision of the UT Level Screening Committee can be reviewed by the Review Committee, on reference to it by the UT Level Screening Committee or on the representation of any aggrieved employee, the GAD said.

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