The education department of Jammu and Kashmir has suspended lecturer Zahoor Ahmed Bhatt. He recently appeared in the Supreme Court as a party to a petition challenging the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370. It is being said that the lecturer has been suspended for supporting Article 370.
The School Education Department has suspended Zahoor Ahmad Bhatt, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, with immediate effect for violating the provisions of the J&K Civil Services Regulations, J&K Government Servant Conduct Rules and J&K Leave Rules.
As per the official order, Bhatt has been transferred from his place of posting Srinagar to Director School Education Office, Jammu. The order states that a senior officer has been appointed to inquire into Bhatt’s conduct.
Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, School Education Department, said in an order, “In view of the pending inquiry in the matter of conduct, Zahoor Ahmad Bhatt, Senior Lecturer, Social Science, currently posted at Government Upper Secondary School, Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar, has been transferred to J&K CSR. , has been suspended with immediate effect for violation of the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1971 etc. During the period of suspension, he will be attached to the office of the Director School Education, Jammu.
The order issued on Friday, August 25, 2023, further said, “It is ordered that Subah Mehta, Joint Director, School Education, Jammu, has been appointed as the Inquiry Officer, who will conduct a thorough inquiry into the conduct of the officer.”
Let us tell that Bhatt is a resident of Budgam district of central Kashmir. He has a law degree and had personally appeared in the Supreme Court. Zahoor Ahmed Bhatt himself appeared before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, and argued against the Centre’s decisions of August 5, 2019.
Let us inform that several petitions challenging the government’s decision to abolish Article 370 are being heard in the Supreme Court. In fact, on 5 August 2019, the Modi government at the Center had abolished Article 370 with special provisions for Kashmir. Along with this, dividing the state into two parts – Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh, it was given the status of a union territory.