Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): A special CBI court in Srinagar has framed charges against six people, including the then divisional commissioner of Kashmir, in the alleged Roshni land 'scam' case, sources said. It is learnt that special CBI judge S.C. Kattal framed the charges against the accused on Monday.
Among those accused are the then Divisional Commissioner Basharat Ahmad Dar, former Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Mehboob Iqbal, Aijaz Iqbal, politicians Sajjad Parvez, Mushtaq Ahmed and Akram Khan. The Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered a case in the alleged scam in the year 2015. Later, the case was handed over to the CBI.
During the hearing on Monday, the special judge after hearing the arguments of the parties said that the court is satisfied with the facts and records presented in the case that action should be taken against the accused. The charges leveled in the charge sheet appear to be at a preliminary stage against the said people.
Also read: Former Congress minister first politician booked by CBI in Roshni land scam
The prosecution said that the accused colluded and handed over the government land worth crores to the incompetent people at cheap prices due to which the government lost crores of rupees in revenue. In the year 2021, CBI teams raided the houses of the said officers during which several documents were recovered.
One such document revealed that the ownership of about 7 kanal 7 marla government land situated at a prime location in Srinagar was arbitrarily handed over to an ineligible applicant. It is alleged that the category of land was also arbitrarily changed by the then civil servant, who was a member of the Price Fixation Committee (PFC).
CBI investigation found that the accused officers have properties in Delhi. A good amount of money was taken for the transfer of land worth crores of rupees, the prosecution said. All this happened when the said IAS officers were holding high positions in Kashmir, it added. A CBI investigation is still underway against other accused in the case.
