Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday ordered premature retirement of nine government employees, including five officers, in "public interest", an official said.
They have been sacked under 226(2) Article of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations which allows the administration to retire government employees at any time after completing 22 years of service or attaining the age of 48 years, the official said.
All the employees belong to the housing and urban development department.
The article is essentially invoked to remove dead wood from the government services under which the employees can be retired after being given three months' notice or three months of pay and allowance in lieu of the notice, the official added.