Six JK BOSE officials booked for financial irregularities

State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) has registered a case against seven persons, including six serving and former officials of Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (BOSE), here for alleged financial irregularities in the department in 2012.
An FIR was registered yesterday against six officials and a private contractor under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Ranbir Panel Code for causing a "huge loss" to the state exchequer, a spokesman of the SVO said today.
The then chairman Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, then Deputy Secretary Haneef, Joint Secretary Rouf Ahmad, then Head Assistant Manzoor Ahmad, Section Officer Satnam Singh and then Senior Assistant Estates Wind of BOSE Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad and private contractor Farooq Ahmad Kawoosa of Bulbul Lankar locality of downtown Srinagar have been named in the FIR.

"The case was registered after a verification conducted into the allegations revealed that a huge amount has been withdrawn by BOSE officials for distribution of confidential material...Through various non-existent vehicles," the spokesman said.
During the verification, the spokesman said it came to light that an order was issued on November 23, 2012 under the signatures of then Joint Secretary wherein sanction was accorded for payments in favour of Kawoosa for supply of four vehicles (load carriers). The payments were found made against four vouchers, he added.
Three vehicles were engaged for distribution of confidential material pertaining to higher Secondary Part-II (Class 12th) Examination, annual Regular 2012 Kashmir Division to different areas of Kashmir Division and the other vehicle was for supplying of confidential material from Srinagar to Jammu.

"The status of each vehicle was verified separately by the concerned Regional Transport Authorities (Srinagar/Leh) where from it emerged that the above mentioned vehicles were an autorickshaw, scooter, a mini-bus and a car respectively instead of load carriers as shown by the accused public servants in the concerned vouchers.
"It was found that accused public servants have withdrawn huge amount on the basis of fictitious vouchers in respect of non-existent vehicles by way of abusing their official positions for their ulterior motives thus causing huge loss to the state exchequer and corresponding gains to themselves," the spokesman said.
He said further investigation of the case was taken up but no arrests have been made so far.