ACB Charges 13 Employees After 14 Years

Anti Corruption Bureau has produced chargesheet against thirteen employees including four former General Managers of DIC Kupwara in a 14-year-old case involving alleged misappropriation of transport subsidy. Three of the employees against whom chargesheet has been filed have died since.

The charge-sheet was produced in case (FIR No. 07/2008) police station VoK (now ACB) under investigation with police station ACB Central, J&K, Jammu against accused public servants namely Abdul Hamid Bhat, the then GM DIC Kupwara, Fayaz Ahmed Shafie, the then GM DIC Kupwara, Mohammad Ashraf Janwari the then GM DIC Kupwara, Masood Karim the then Manager Development DIC Kupwara, Abdul Gani Kirmani IPO DIC Kupwara, A A Khan (now deceased) IPO DIC Kupwara, Ghulam Nabi Mir the then Block Investigator DIC Kupwara, Zahoor Ahmad Shah the then Manager Accounts J&K Bank Barzulla

Branch Srinagar, Aijaz Ahmad Kitab the then Manager Accounts J&K Bank Solina Branch Srinagar, Feroz Ahmed Lone, A K Lone (deceased), Mohammad Maqbool Unit Holders and private person and A Q Lone (deceased) in the Court of Special Judge Anti Corruption, Baramulla.

The instant case was registered on the outcome of the verification conducted by the then Vigilance Organization Kashmir into the allegations pertaining to misappropriation of transport subsidy by the officials of District Industrial Centre Kupwara in league with the SSI unit holders, the ACB said in a statement to GNS. “Pursuant to the conspiracy that was hatched the DIC officials had issued factually incorrect verification/consumption certificates etc to facilitate the fraudulent withdrawal of transport subsidy by the unit holders amounting to lakhs of rupees.”

The investigation conducted by the Anti Corruption Bureau has revealed that the DIC officials of Kupwara had processed the transport subsidy claims of the unit holders in 1996-97 based upon the fake documents submitted by them and had then put up the same through an Agenda Note to the Directorate of Industries and Commerce before the State Level Committee for sanction of the claims, it said. However, the ACB said investigation has revealed that no proper verification has been carried out regarding the veracity of the Subsidy claims of the unit holders by the then officials of DIC Kupwara while processing the claims.

“On the strength of facts and circumstances together with cogent evidence brought on record, the investigation has established commission of offence u/s 5(1)(c) and 5(1)(d) r/w 5(2) of the JK PC Act Svt. 2006 and u/s 120- B r/w 468 and 471 RPC as proved against the above said accused public servants, the charge sheet of the case was produced before the Court of Special Judge Anti-corruption Court, Baramulla on 27.04.2022 for Judicial determination.”