Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 23: The Jammu and Kashmir Vigilance Organization today arrested senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Baseer Ahmad Khan for his alleged role in misusing his official position for transfer of Government land worth crores of rupees at Ski resort of Gulmarg in North Kashmir district of Baramulla.
The Director Vigilance Organization, Shaikh Owais Ahmad, told Excelsior that Baseer Ahmad Khan who is Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, presented himself before the Vigilance Organization at Srinagar today.
The Director Vigilance said that they received sanction from the Centre for Khan’s prosecution on Friday and he was intimated to be present before the Vigilance on Monday which he did.
“We took him in custody and produced him before the court of Special Judge, Anti-corruption, and presented the charge sheet against him. The court released him on bail and allowed him to report back to duty at Kishtwar, said Shaikh Owais.
The Director Vigilance said that they had sought sanction from the Centre almost a year ago after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah gave approval for his prosecution in the multi-crore Gulmarg land scam.
Khan, who was Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar till March, was removed on the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court which is hearing a public interest litigation in Gulmarg land scam case.
Five other accused officers, who have retired from service, have already been charge sheeted in the case. Among the accused is then Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Mehboob Iqbal, who has since joined PDP. Baseer Khan was Deputy Commissioner Baramulla when the illegal land transfer took place.
Shaikh Owais said since Baseer Khan is a serving IAS officer, the organization needed sanction for his prosecution from Centre which was given last week. “We were ready with the charge sheet and were waiting for Centre’s nod which we got last week”, he said.
The Vigilance had registered a case against senior officials of the Government in 2009 (FIR No. 8/2009) for allegedly misusing official position for illegal transfer of Government land in Gulmarg worth crores of rupees by misusing provisions of the J&K State Land, (Vesting of Ownership Rights to the Occupants) Act, 2001, also known as Roshni Act.
The accused by abuse of their official position under a conspired plan, dishonestly in gross-violation of law/rules, processed and vested the ownership of the leased land to beneficiaries in Gulmarg estate, meant for construction of hutments, under master plan of GDA, to confer undue benefit upon the beneficiary applicants, occupants and themselves. The land was transferred to the accused in a place where Roshni Act was not applicable.
According to the provisions of the Roshni Act, any occupant of Government land shall apply to the territorial Tehsildar for having such land vested or transferred to him under the provisions of the Act.
Under the Act, the concerned tehsildar after holding an inquiry and verifying the contents of the application, would send a report to Collector of the area with his recommendations.
The Collector would subsequently make further inquiry and forward the application along with his report to the committee, which is required to pass appropriate order for disposal of land and also determine the price to be deposited by the applicant (occupant) for vesting of such state land.
However, the provisions of the Act are not applicable to the land that is earmarked for a specific purpose in any master plan.
Follow our WhatsApp channel