Court acquits 'corrupt' officer after 16 yrs

Special Judge anti-corruption, Suresh Sharma acquitted Ghulam Nabi Mir facing trial in 11 cases for alleged huge bunglings.

A government official in Jammu and Kashmir facing charges of corruption has been acquitted by a local court after 16 years in the absence a valid sanction to prosecute him from a competent authority.

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Special Judge anti-corruption, Suresh Sharma acquitted Ghulam Nabi Mir facing trial in 11 cases for alleged huge bunglings committed in the purchase of pipe fittings in the Public Health Engineering (PHE) divisions of Bhijbehara, Budgam and Shopian in the year of 1990, on Monday.

In the 15-page judgment, Sharma after hearing Chief Prosecuting Officer (CPO) MA Khosa and advocates ZA Qureshi and SA Shah appearing for the accused and also referring to various judgments of the Supreme Court, observed that the advocates appearing for the accused challenged the sanction accorded by then advisor to the Governor MA Zaki and said that no valid sanction has been granted in the case.

The sanction so accorded is invalid as the same has been issued in mechanical manners without application of mind, lawyers of the accused said.