Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 1: Special Judge CBI Srinagar SC Kattal today framed charges against Syed Farooq Ahmad, Deepak Khajuria, Kuldeep Sharma, Nitish Proach, Surjit Singh and Harvinder Singh in the much publicized fake gun license scam.
The brief facts of the case are that during the period from 2012 to 2016 the District Magistrate of various districts of J&K including District Kulgam fraudulently and illegally issued gun licences which run in thousands. The charge sheet pertains to the gun licences issued by District Magistrate Kulgam who in connivance with his subordinate (Judicial Clerk) and private persons fraudulently and illegally issued the gun licences which have raised serious security concerns.
The licensing authority brazenly flouted the norms, procedures and rules governing the subject in lieu of monitory considerations by abuse of their official position as public servant which discloses the commission of offences, the Court observed, adding the final report further reveals that Jahangir Mir, the then DM Kulgam (now dead) during his tenure from 18.05.2012 to 18.07.2014 in pursuance to the criminal conspiracy hatched with co-accused issued more than 18,000 arms licences and many of licences have been issued even after his relinquishment the charge of DM Kulgam.
The co-accused in this case are Syed Farooq Ahmad, the then Judicial Clerk in the office of DM Kulgam (now retired), Deepak Khajuria, Proprietor M/s Khajuria Engineer Works Jammu, Kuldeep Sharma, Manager M/s Pratap Gun House Jammu, Nitish Proach of M/s Nitish Proach Arms and Ammunition Dealers, Surjeet Singh Proprietor M/s Deshmesh Armory Arms and Ammunition Dealers Jammu and Harvinder Singh, retired Major.
“To bring out criminality on part of accused persons, the Investigating Officer has referred six instances regarding issuance of arms licences which have been fraudulently and illegally issued in favour of ineligible persons who are neither resident of nor posted in the jurisdiction of district Kulgam”, the Court said, adding “in one case Harvinder Singh has himself put the signature of his Commanding Officer on the application form as well as the recommendation letter”.
“The arms licences have been issued without obtaining police verification or verifying the credentials of applicants, many application forms are found incomplete and crucial information has not been given in the application. It has also surfaced in the course of investigation that licensing authority in pursuance of criminal conspiracy with gun-dealers, middlemen lured the large number of defence personal by illegally recommending their cases to Home Department for extension of jurisdiction to all over India for monitory considerations”, the Court said.
Accordingly, the accused persons have been charge-sheeted for commission of offences under Sections 120-B, 420, 467,468, 471, 201/RPC read with Section 5(1)(d)/5(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
