The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday terminated the services of 103 Fireman appointees of the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department after an inquiry and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation established that their appointments were secured through fraudulent means in the 2020 recruitment process.
As per Government Order No. 608-Home of 2025 dated December 15, 2025, the action follows the findings of an Inquiry Committee constituted in December 2022 to examine allegations of large-scale irregularities in the selection of Firemen and Fireman Drivers.
The inquiry, according to the order, found serious lapses including paper leakage, tampering of OMR sheets, fabrication of scanned answer sheets, manipulation of merit lists and digital records, and illegal enhancement of marks in favour of selected candidates. Acting on the committee’s recommendations, the ACB registered FIR No. 01/2025 and carried out a detailed verification and investigation.
The ACB reports conclusively established that as many as 106 candidates had benefited from result manipulation, and their appointments were obtained through criminal conspiracy and fraudulent practices. Of these, the appointments of three candidates were already cancelled for non-fulfilment of mandatory service formalities, while the remaining 103 were ordered to be terminated.
The government order states that since the appointments were illegal and void ab initio, the protections available under Article 311 of the Constitution do not apply. The decision also cites judgments of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh and the Supreme Court, which hold that appointments secured through fraud do not confer the legal status of a government employee.
“In view of the established fraud and manipulation, the continuation of these appointees would amount to perpetuation of illegality and undermine public trust in recruitment processes,” the order reads.
The services of the 103 Fireman appointees have been terminated with immediate effect, and they shall cease to be borne on the establishment of the Fire & Emergency Services Department from the date of issuance of the order.
The government reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and asserted that strict action would continue against all those found involved in recruitment scams to ensure transparency and fairness in public appointments.
