J&K and Ladakh HC seeks details of pending cases against former MLAs, sitting MPs

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on Friday sought details pertaining to 13 pending cases against a total of 16 former MLAs and sitting MPs from various courts in the Union Territory.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has sought the details of the pending cases against the former members of the assembly and sitting MPs from various courts. There are 13 cases pending in various courts against 16 former MLAs and sitting MPs.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ali Muhammad Magray and Justice Sanjay Dhar directed the Registrar Judicial of the High Court to find out the status of hearing of cases from various courts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The directive came in the wake of a status report filed by the High Court seeking information on pending cases and investigations against politicians.

According to the status report filed by the Director General of Prosecutions, Jammu, there are 13 cases pending against 16 former MLAs and sitting MPs in various subordinate courts as well as the High Court.

Among the list of politicians is former Minister for Public Works Nayeem Akhtar Andrabi, former Minister for Housing and Urban Development late Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, current Member of Parliament Muhammad Akbar Lone.

The names of former Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul and former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand also find mention in the list.

Apart from this, in the report, former MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, Abdul Majeed Wani, Dr. Gagan Bhagat, late Satpal Lakhotra, and Prem Nath from Jammu district, Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir of Pulwama district, Muhammad Altaf Wani, Abdul Rahim Rather, and Mansoor Hussain from district Anantnag, Shabbir Ahmad Khan, and Zahoor Ahmad Mir are also included.

The bench said that in order to ensure progress in the trial of the cases, it has become necessary to obtain trial status from the concerned courts through the Registrar Judicial of the High Court.

The court has given two more weeks' time to the Commissioner Secretary to the Government of Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to submit the details of the pending cases.