Waqar Manzoor
Srinagar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of Crime Branch J&K has filed a chargesheet in FIR No. 76/2022 under Sections 199 and 420 of the RPC before the Hon’ble Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, against Ms. Afshan Shabir, wife of Syed Akeel Ahmad, resident of Shibath Zadibal.
The case pertains to allegations that the accused, who was appointed as an Assistant Professor at SKIMS, Soura in 2019, is a United Kingdom national and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder, thereby rendering her ineligible for appointment to a Government post.
Investigation revealed that Ms. Afshan Shabir had applied for the post pursuant to Advertisement Notice No. 04 of 2015 as an in-service candidate and submitted official documents, including a State Subject Certificate, declaring herself to be an Indian citizen and a permanent resident of Jammu and Kashmir. On the basis of these declarations, she was selected and appointed.
During the investigation, official records such as her service book, personal file, application form, and minutes of the selection committee were seized and scrutinized. It surfaced that the accused had acquired British citizenship prior to joining Government service and had allegedly concealed this material fact while applying for and continuing in service. The accused admitted to possessing a British passport and an OCI card.
The investigation established that by misrepresenting her citizenship status, the accused fraudulently secured a public post, resulting in wrongful gain to herself and corresponding loss to the Government. Consequently, her services were terminated vide Government Order No. 23-SKIMS of 2022 dated 20.08.2022.
Upon completion of the investigation, the chargesheet has been produced before the competent court for judicial adjudication.
