E-Paper
Arms licence scam: J&K HC directs home ministry to file updated status report
The high court directed advocate Sumant Sudan, appearing on behalf of deputy solicitor general of India (DSGI) Vishal Sharma for department of personnel and training in the home ministry, to file updated status report with regard to the comments sent by general administration department (GAD) of J&K government on December 27 last year
Close on the heels of prosecution sanction granted against senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, presently posted as revenue secretary in Jammu and Kashmir, a division bench of the high court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh comprising chief justice Tashi Rabstan and justice MA Chowdhary has directed department of personnel and trainings in the home ministry to file updated status report with regard to five IAS officers and others in the infamous arms licence scam being investigated by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The high court directed advocate Sumant Sudan, appearing on behalf of deputy solicitor general of India (DSGI) Vishal Sharma for department of personnel and training in the home ministry, to file updated status report with regard to the comments sent by general administration department (GAD) of J&K government on December 27 last year.
The officers were identified as Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, the then district magistrate, Udhampur; Niraj Kumar, the then district magistrate, Udhampur; Yasha Mudgal, the then district magistrate, Udhampur; Prasanna Ramaswamy G, the then district magistrate, Leh; M. Raju, the then district magistrate, Kargil; Fida Hussain (KAS), the then district magistrate, Kargil; Jitendra Kumar Singh, the then district magistrate, Rajouri; Faqir Chand Bhagat (JKAS), the then district magistrate, Rajouri; Hemant Kumar Sharma (JKAS), the then district magistrate, Rajouri; Shabir Ahmad Butt (JKAS), the then district magistrate, Rajouri.
When this much publicised Public Interest Litigation (PIL No.09/2012 titled Sheikh Mohd. Shafi & Anr. versus Union of India and Ors.) came up for hearing, advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, who appeared for the petitioners, submitted that government of J&K was shielding the high profile bureaucrats in the arms licence scam, despite CBI’s repeated communications to the government, which, he claimed, was not forwarding the prosecution proposals to home ministry as per single window system evolved by DoPT, Government of India.
Advocate Ahmed while referring to the status reports dated December 5,2023 and December 20, 2023 filed by the GAD, pointed out that all out efforts are being made to give safe passage to the IAS officers whose names have surfaced after an in-depth investigation by CBI in two FIRs i.e. FIR No. RCCHGO51201850006 dated October 16th, 2018 and FIR No. RCCHGO51201850007 dated October 16th, 2018.
Ahmed vehemently argued that CBI’s investigation in the scam was completed way back in 2020-21 and since then the CBI has been sending communications to the J&K government to moot the proposals to home ministry for prosecution sanction of the IAS officers allegedly involved in the scam.
“However, the government of J&K in order to confer undue favour to the members of All India Services, has unnecessarily entered into a correspondence with law department of J&K and regional office of CBI, Chandigarh,” he submitted. He further submitted that the HC in view of the lackadaisical approach of J&K government should issue a direction to the GAD to forward the prosecution proposals to home ministry without any further delay.
AAG Raman Sharma, appearing for J&K government(GAD), submitted that in terms of order dated November 21, 2024, he has filed a status report in the registry on December 27, 2024 and the division Bench in the open court observed that the said status report is not before the court, however, AAG Raman Sharma supplied a copy of the status report in the open court and the same was taken on record.
Division bench observed that GAD has communicated its comments to the ministry of home affairs vide its communication dated December 27, 2024 for final decision in the matter.
The division bench also allowed time to advocate SS Ahmed to file his response to the status report filed by the GAD before the next date of hearing --February 13.
The Centre has already granted prosecution sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, an IAS cadre officer.
Ranjan was one among nine IAS officers, who were accused of issuing arms licenses on monetary considerations in Jammu and Kashmir to the non-deserving persons.
