*Only 2 cases involving follower, HC challaned
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 6: Majority of the officers and officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Police facing corruption charges have remained unpunished as the department is soft-paddling on enquiries during the past several years despite explicit and numerous directives from the State High Court regarding their expeditious completion. Not only in this wing under the Home Department, such cases even in the Fire and Emergency Services and Prisons are facing delays on ‘unjustified’ grounds.
A total of 31 departmental enquiries relating to charges of corruption are pending in Police Department (excluding those from Vigilance Organization), 4 cases in Fire and Emergency Services Department and one case in Prisons Department.
Keeping in view dilly-dallying approach on completion of these enquiries, the State High Court passed numerous directions in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighting deep rooted menace of corruption in the different departments of the State Government. On March 14, 2016, the Division Bench of the High Court granted three weeks time to the Home Secretary to file status report with regard to pending departmental enquiries.
The status report, which has been filed on behalf of Principal Secretary Home in the High Court yesterday, clearly reveals that no seriousness is being shown to take the departmental enquiries to the logical conclusion and punish those facing corruption charges.
Out of 31 pending departmental cases, there is no substantial progress in over 20 cases while as challan has been presented in two cases, prosecution sanction obtained in one case and minor action in the shape of stopping of increment has been initiated in two cases.
“From the perusal of the report, it can be easily gauged that there are no efforts to cleanse the Police Department of corrupt elements which otherwise is imperative to give a positive message to the common masses as well as a step towards having deterrent effect”, the legal experts said, adding “delay in initiating action against those facing corruption charges only boosts the morale of delinquent officers and officials”.
A corruption case against five persons including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and Inspector was registered way back in 2003 at Police Station Crime Branch Kashmir but till date none of the delinquent official has been punished despite lapse of 13 years. Now, the Home Department says that sanction has been accorded for prosecution in favour of four accused including DySP Khurshid Ahmad Mir and Inspector Mohd Nasir Bhat but whether the prosecution has been launched has not been revealed in the status report.
Similarly, two police officials including the then Inspector Shafiq Ahmad Hakim (presently DySP) were booked in the year 2009 by the Crime Branch Jammu. In this case, charge sheet was filed in the trial court, which, however, vide its order dated 16-3-2013 had returned the file for re-investigation. What happened thereafter has not been revealed in the status report.
In many cases involving several officials particularly Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors namely Mohd Amin, Nazir Ahmad, Mohd Farooq, Tariq Ahmad and Kirti Bhushan etc, the status report simply says: “Matter has been taken up with Director General of Police, Inspector General of Police and concerned SSPs and investigation is under progress”.
Out of 31 cases, only two have been challaned involving a follower and a Head Constable while as no progress has been made in cases involving officers of the level of Inspectors and above. Interestingly, several police officials attained age of superannuation during the pendency of departmental enquiries.
As far as four cases of Fire and Emergency Services Department are concerned, in two cases Inquiry Officers have been asked to conclude the enquiries while as in one case the report of enquiry has been processed for approval of competent authority. But, no time-frame has been fixed for initiating action against delinquent officials namely Zahoor Ahmad, Hira Lal and Arshid Hussain.
About one case of Prisons Department involving Rajni Sehgal, the then Superintendent District Jail Jammu, the Principal Secretary Home said that the Inquiry Officer has submitted this report, which upon examination in the Home Department, has been referred to the Prisons Department for seeking certain clarifications.
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