Home Deptt with legal experts pursuing data
*Evidence being gathered for judicial scrutiny
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 29: The Jammu and Kashmir Government is set to open cases of terror-activities in the Valley involving former militants, separatists etc in which evidence can be gathered. Home Department of the Union Territory is actively considering all such cases and will take a call shortly depending on the merits.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Jammu and Kashmir Government has asked the Home Department to consider reopening of cases pertaining to terror activities involving former hardcore militants, who are roaming freely now, separatists and other anti-national elements whose cases were closed or couldn’t be pursued legally during past three decades of militancy due to “indifferent attitude of the then administration”.
“Several such cases are under discussion. We can’t say all such cases will be opened as evidence has been destroyed in many cases. However, the cases which can be pursued legally and can stand judicial determination will be opened as per the Government directions,” sources said.
The Government has assigned the duty to a top officer of the Home Department to study the cases with assistance of Police and Legal officials, they said, adding the process has been initiated but it will take time.
Asserting that evidence has been erased in some of the cases, sources, however, said that the Home Department teams with the help of Police and Legal experts are trying to gather maximum possible proof that can stand judicial scrutiny before reopening the cases.
The Government said time-frame can’t be set for such cases but definitely all means are being adopted by the Home Department to ensure that justice once denied is granted though after a long time.
“Rule of law will prevail,” they said, adding whatever is possible within the law will be done to ensure that people who were denied justice are delivered the same, albeit after decades.
Sources confirmed that they have come across some serious terror-related cases in the Kashmir valley in which evidence was erased intentionally or no probe was held at all in nineties or thereafter.
“All such cases are under scrutiny,” they said.
Both Central as well as Jammu and Kashmir Governments are concerned over reports that some terror crimes involving hardcore militants, separatists etc were intentionally ignored by the previous Governments and no action was ever taken in them.
As a result, these militants and separatists kept roaming freely spreading the agenda of terrorism.
The Government decision to reopen cases of terrorism comes after termination of Government employees involved in fanning terror across Jammu and Kashmir.
During past about one year, the Government has terminated services of many Government officers/officials, Professors, teachers, police personnel etc who were engaged in giving fillip to militancy with their activities.
“Many more such terminations are in the offing,” sources said, adding the Intelligence agencies of Jammu and Kashmir are studying cases of a number of Government employees involved in terrorism and action against them will be taken shortly.
“This is an unending process,” they asserted.
As per the sources, cases of nearly 200 officials are under scrutiny of the Intelligence agencies.
However, only those officers/officials are removed from the services against whom enough evidence is gathered for their involvement in encouraging terror activities.
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