Srinagar, June 12: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has revoked the suspension of former Chief Education Officer (CEO) Bandipora, Balbir Kumar, more than four years after he was placed under suspension and attached with the Directorate of School Education Kashmir pending further consideration of the matter.
According to an order issued by Commissioner/Secretary, School Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma, the competent authority examined the case and decided to take a lenient view, leading to the revocation of Kumar’s suspension. Following his reinstatement, he has been posted and adjusted in the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Jammu, against an available vacancy with immediate effect.
Kumar was suspended in February 2026 through Government Order No. 79-JK (Edu) of 2026. At the time, the School Education Department had placed him under suspension pending an enquiry into his conduct under Rule 31 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956. During the suspension period, he remained attached to the Directorate of School Education Kashmir.
The suspension came a day after Kumar, then serving as CEO Bandipora, issued an order cancelling the deployment of 34 teachers who were originally appointed in Education Zone Gurez but were serving in other education zones of Bandipora district. The teachers had been directed to report to their original places of posting with immediate effect.
The move had drawn attention as it followed concerns over teacher shortages in remote schools of Gurez. At the time, residents and stakeholders had argued that schools in the area were facing staffing shortages due to prolonged attachments and deployments of teachers outside their original zones.
The issue had also gained prominence following observations made in an August 2025 audit report by the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Jammu and Kashmir. The audit had flagged irregular teacher attachments in Zone Dawar of Gurez and pointed to instances of unauthorised deployments. It had also highlighted the impact of such arrangements on staffing patterns in schools located in remote and tribal areas.
While the latest government order revokes Kumar’s suspension and assigns him a new posting, it does not elaborate on the findings of the enquiry or provide further details regarding the examination of the case. The order states that the decision was taken after the competent authority considered the matter and decided to adopt a lenient approach.
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