Arms Licenses Scam: Court directs MHA to file status report of IAS, JKAS officers
Jammu, Jan 6, KNT: A Division Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has directed the Ministery of Home Affairs, Government of India to file the updated status report about 5 IAS Officers and others in the infamous Arms Licenses Scam investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
These officers are 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 Bhat (JKAS), the then District Magistrate, Rajouri.
The court as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust was told that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir is shielding the high profile bureaucrats in the ‘Arms Licenses Scam’, as despite CBI’s repeated communications, the J&K Government is not forwarding the prosecution proposals to the the Government of India.
The court was further told that all out efforts are being made to give safe passage to the IAS and JKAS officers whose names have surfaced after an in-depth investigation by CBI.
The counsel for the petitioners further informed the court that CBI’s investigation into the scam was completed way back in 2020 and since then it has been flashing communications to the J&K Government, but of no avail.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary directed the Department of Personal Training and Ministry of Home Affairs to file the current status of bureaucrats whose names have figures in the scam. [KNT]
