Srinagar, Oct 7, KNT: Junior Assistants from all ten districts of Kashmir Valley, eligible for promotion to the post of Senior Assistant, have appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and Education Minister for their immediate intervention to ensure fair, transparent, and time-bound implementation of their long-pending promotions.
Junior Assistants said that promotions from Junior Assistant to Senior Assistant require fulfilment of seniority norms and completion of the Secretariat Assistant Training Course (SATC). However, they alleged that despite completing all formalities, their promotion cases have been subject to prolonged delay and procedural inconsistency.
The SATC examination was held in July–August 2024, but its results were declared only on April 25, 2025, by the J&K Public Service Commission under Notification No. 15-S (PSC) of 2025. A Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting was subsequently convened on May 5, 2025, yet cases of Junior Assistants were deferred on the grounds of “pending files.” After multiple representations, the matter was finally reconsidered in the DPC meeting held on June 14, 2025, where promotions of 158 eligible officials were approved in principle against an equal number of clear vacancies.
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They, however, said that the process has since been derailed due to internal manipulation and selective decision-making. They clarified that the court stay in force applies only to the seniority list of Senior Assistants in connection with Head Assistant promotions and has no legal bearing on their own cases. Despite this, the stay is reportedly being misused as a pretext to stall their promotions.
They said the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has itself recorded a severe shortage of ministerial staff in Tribunal Diary No. 3022/2025. The employees fear further delay with the Director set to retire this month, which may push the issue into uncertainty under a new administrative setup.
The aggrieved officials also alleged that a small group of officers within DSEK, some of whom have remained posted for unusually long tenures or have been brought back through deputation, are exerting undue influence over the process. They claim that this group has manipulated district-wise allocations and selectively advanced promotions to benefit particular individuals, in violation of SRO 308 and SRO 272.
The aspirants have urged the administration to ensure that the DPC recommendations dated June 14, 2025, are implemented without delay, all eligible Junior Assistants are promoted, and officials overstaying in sensitive positions are transferred to restore fairness and integrity in the Directorate. [KNT]
