Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government Wednesday revealed that cases of corruption have been registered against more than 600 persons including bureaucrats and other top and middle-rung officials in the state. Curiously, the government has succeeded to prosecute only 34 officials and officers so far while the cases against the remaining accused officials are still pending with State Vigilance Organization and the Crime Branch.
In a written reply to a question by CPI-M leader Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami seeking particulars about officers and officials involved in corruption cases and misappropriation of funds, the government said 304 such cases involving top officials were pending before SVO and Crime Branch.
Either the investigation is in the initial stage or final stage, or the probe is in progress, the government said. The government data reveals that 144 cases involving more than 300 officials and officers are pending with Vigilance Organization and Crime Branch in Jammu while the number of cases pending with these two graft agencies of Kashmir are 126.
As per government data the officials and officers against whom graft charges have been filed include Engineers, Directors, Assistant Directors, Managers, Enforcement Officers, Ward Officers, Tehsildars, Supervisors, Police officers, Block Development Officers, Store Keepers and others.
Most of the cases are related to the misappropriation of government funds. Some cases against corrupt officials that had been closed by Vigilance Organization are being re-investigated after the intervention of Court.
Some of the big fish against whom corruption charges are being investigated include, Abdul Rashid Dar the then Chairman Legislative Council, Mushtaq Peer then BOPEE chairman, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Reyaz Farooq Principal Dental College Srinagar, G.A.Khawaja Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Abdul Majid Mir then Director CA&PD Kashmir, Nagendra Sharma Vice Chancellor SKUAST Jammu, Romesh Kumar Bhat, then ASP Noushera at present SP Security J&K, M A Malik then Chief Engineer and Director SPD Jammu, Ejaz Iqbal then Managing Director SFC, Hemant Kumar then Director CA&PD Jammu, Muhammad Subhan Najar then Managing Director JKPCC, Nazir Ahmed Shah then Chief Engineer PWD (R&B department Kashmir), Ashok Kumar Sharma then Director Health Services, Vinod Koul Relief Commissioner (Migrants) Jammu, Mubarak Singh then Commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation, Nasir Iqbal Parray then ADC Udhampur, Brij Bhushan Sharma then MD J&K Cooperative Housing, Faqir Chand Bhagat then Director Urban Local Bodies Jammu, O.P Kalandaria then DC Udhampur and others.
A Revenue official accused of illegal and fraudulent mutation of government land has expired while his case is still under investigation. Similarly, the case of another deceased Legislative Council official is under investigation.
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