Teacher Dismissed Over BNS and POCSO Act Charges

Srinagar | September, 21: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has dismissed a Teacher Grade-II from service following criminal charges registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The employee, identified as Khalid Hussain, posted at Government Middle School, Bumalpora in Kishtwar district, was under suspension following an FIR registered under Sections 61(2), 65(1), 90, 91, and 92 of BNS, 2023, and Sections 4, 6, 8, 10, and 17 of the POCSO Act, 2012.
Considering the nature of the allegations, competent authorities invoked sub-clause (b) of the proviso to clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India read with Rule 30 (viii) of the J&K Civil Services Rules, 1956, to impose a major penalty of dismissal without holding an enquiry, officials said.
The order stated that conducting an enquiry was not reasonably practicable and that the teacher’s continuation in service would erode public trust in government institutions. The dismissal carries a permanent disqualification from future government employment in the UT.