Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 6: State Vigilance Organization has initiated the process to prosecute officers and officials involved in the much-publicized multi-crore Roshni land scam. It has also geared up its Special Investigation Teams (SITs) for expeditious completion of probe into three more FIRs registered recently following prima-facie establishment of allegations leveled against the officials.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that all the six FIRs registered by the State Vigilance Organization early last year on the basis of investigation conducted into the instances of abuse of the Roshni Scheme pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) have now reached the logical conclusion.
Out of these six FIRs, five were referred back to the State Vigilance Organization by the State Vigilance Commission with some observations and advice to rectify the same while as one FIR was cleared as it is.
“As such FIR No. 18/2014 pertaining to bungling in the implementation of Roshni Scheme in Pulwama district registered at Police Station Vigilance Organization Kashmir has been sent to the Government for accord of sanction for prosecution against in-service accused public servants”, official sources said.
The officers and officials against whom prosecution sanction has been sought in this case include Ali Mohd, the then Tehsildar, Bashir Ahmed Mir, the then Patwari and Office Clerk Manzoor Ahmed. “In this case, the involvement of the then Deputy Commissioner could not be established”, sources said.
Five other FIRs registered last year would be sent to the Government for prosecution sanction against in-service Government servants following adherence to the advice of State Vigilance Commission, they said while disclosing that observations of SVC are being rectified and the process will be completed expeditiously.
“This process would not take more than 10 days”, sources said in response to a question.
They informed that though under Prevention of Corruption Act, there is no time limit for grant of prosecution sanction by the competent authority but after 90 days of formal request in this regard there would not be any hurdle for the State Vigilance Organization to launch prosecution against the tainted officers.
This is because the Supreme Court in its landmark judgment in Subramaniam Swamy Versus Dr Manmohan Singh has categorically stated that sanctioning authority has to accord prosecution sanction within a period of 90 days otherwise it would be a deemed as sanctioned after this period.
“In the light of this judgment, the concerned departments cannot favor any of the tainted officials as State Vigilance Organization can go ahead with the prosecution process after the stipulated timeframe”, sources said.
According to the sources, investigation into three more FIRs registered by the State Vigilance Organization recently into the cases pinpointed in the audit report by Comptroller and Auditor General is going on at fast pace.
“The Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been given explicit directions to conclude investigations into the instances of abuse of Roshni Scheme one-by-one but expeditiously so that the same could reach prosecution stage”, sources informed.
They disclosed that Director, State Vigilance Organization, Sheikh Owais Ahmad has also filed status report before the Division Bench of State High Court in this regard as per the recent directions.
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