E-Paper
Arms licence scam: Centre grants CBI sanction to prosecute revenue secretary
Kumar Rajeev Ranjan was one among nine IAS officers, who were accused of issuing arms licences on monetary considerations in Jammu and Kashmir to non-deserving persons
The Centre has granted prosecution sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)I against Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, an IAS cadre officer, presently posted as secretary revenue department in Jammu and Kashmir in the infamous arms licence scam of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ranjan, who was the then Jammu deputy commissioner (DC), was one among nine IAS officers, who were accused of issuing arms licences on monetary considerations in Jammu and Kashmir to non-deserving persons.
In a letter to deputy solicitor general of India in the high court of J&K and Ladakh, Vishal Sharma, under-secretary to government of India in the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, department of personnel and training, Pijush Mohanta conveyed that prosecution sanction against Kumar Rajeev Ranjan has been granted by the competent authority.
“Grant of sanction for prosecution against Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, IAS, in CBI RCCHG051201850007, under Section 6 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006 for alleged offences under Section 5 (2) of PC Act, 2006, has already been issued on 28/11/2024 with the approval of competent authority. This is for your information and kind appraisal of hon’ble high court of J&K and Ladakh, if required,” read Mohanta’s letter accessed by the HT.
The case is being adjudicated in the high court of J&K and Ladakh.
On November 25, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh high court had expressed serious concern over the pick-and-choose policy in granting prosecution sanction against bureaucrats in the scam. The court also expressed its displeasure in delay over the matter on “one pretext or the other.”
A division bench comprising chief justice Tashi Rabstan and justice MA Chowdhary had then reluctantly granted one month’s time to the Centre and the UT government for filing the status reports indicating steps taken for granting prosecution sanction with regard to the IAS officers and others against whom Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought sanction to produce challans in the designated courts.
The court further directed that in case needful was not done well before the next date of hearing, it would have no option but to take coercive measures.
After referring to the latest status report filed by the CBI in the case, the court expressed its grave concern over selective prosecution of IAS officers It observed that the CBI concluded in its investigation that the arms licensing authorities, i.e. district magistrates, gun house dealers and other middlemen had hatched a criminal conspiracy for issuance of arms licences illegally in favour of ineligible persons by forging documents in lieu of monetary considerations, yet the competent authorities including the Union ministry of home affairs have not accorded sanction for prosecution of IAS officers particularly influential bureaucrats for the several years. “It seems that the prosecution sanction is being given by these authorities on the basis of pick-and-choose basis as big fishes are still roaming free and the matter is being delayed on one or the other pretext, which is a matter of grave concern,” the court had observed.
CBI in its report has revealed that during the period between 2012 to 2016 approximately 1.53 lakh arms licences were issued in 10 districts of Jammu division and approximately 1.21 lakh in 12 districts of the then Kashmir division, allegedly for monetary gains. It may be stated here that the CBI had sought prosecution sanction against nine IAS officers, allegedly involved in the infamous scam. Ranjan refused to comment on prosecution sanction and said, “the matter is subjudice before the court.”
