Srinagar, Jul 04: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has strongly denied allegations that it was sitting over the vigilance clearance file of a government school teacher whose leave application to travel to the United Kingdom allegedly remained pending for months.
The clarification comes after a social media post by a Kashmiri doctor based in Bristol, England, claimed that her mother, a government teacher, was unable to visit her during pregnancy and childbirth because her station/country leave application was not processed in time.
Rejecting the allegations, ACB Director Shakti Pathak said the matter had never reached the bureau. “Matter never came to ACB. Please have it enquired from the Education Department,” Pathak said. “We clear such types of files in a maximum of four days.”
The controversy erupted after Dr. Salfiya, a Kashmiri doctor settled in England, alleged on X (formerly Twitter) that her mother had applied for station/country leave in December 2025 for the period from June to August 2026, but the application remained pending despite the commencement of the sanctioned leave period. She further alleged that an earlier leave application submitted during her pregnancy had also lapsed because the department failed to process it on time.
“Because of this administrative apathy, my mother couldn’t be with me during my pregnancy, my C-section or my postpartum recovery in the UK. This is not just a delayed file, it is a family that has suffered because of bureaucratic negligence,” Dr. Salfiya wrote on X while tagging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Education Minister Sakina Itoo, seeking their intervention.
Responding to the issue, Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) Naseer Ahmad Wani said the department follows a prescribed procedure before granting station or country leave. “Granting permission requires vigilance clearance, following which the approval is accorded by the administrative department,” Wani said.
He acknowledged having seen the social media post and said the department would verify the status of the case.
“I read the tweet, but why didn’t anyone follow the case in the department? I will check the status of the issue today,” the DSEK said.
With the ACB categorically stating that the file was never referred to it for vigilance clearance, the focus is now likely to shift to the School Education Department to ascertain where the application remained pending and what caused the delay. (GK)
