File factually correct report about missing of Quran from SPS museum: HC to CBI
Srinagar, Feb 20 : The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file latest factually correct status of investigation about theft of Holy Quran from Sri Pratap Singh Museum.
The court refused to take on record the earlier status report filed by the investigative agency on January 29.
A division bench, comprising Justices Ramalingam Sudhakar and M K Hanjura passed the order on Monday on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Valley Citizen Council (VCC) through general secretary Imdad Saqi in 2008, seeking directions from the court for protection and conservation of artifacts, monuments and excavation sites in Kashmir as well a probe on theft of manuscript of an Aurangzeb-era copy of the Holy Quran which was stolen along other prized articles from the museum in 2003.
The court directed the CBI to submit the latest updated report, which should be factually correct, by March 19. The bench did not take on record the status report which the CBI had filed on January 29, saying it was factually incorrect.
The court also directed the Curator of the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums to authenticate the Catalogue of the gold, silver and copper coins by putting seal and signature on it. The court ordered that three catalogues in the bounded volume be produced before the court by the next date of hearing, saying one volume be kept in High Court record room and the other be placed in High Court Museum.
''Produce the sealed and signed copy by or on March 12 before the registrar judicial for submitting the same before the court on March 19.''
The Court had directed the state government to furnish details on excavation sites and heritage monuments of Kashmir even as it ordered immediate preparing of inventory of all artifacts housed in SPS Museum here along with photographs. The High Court had handed over the case related to theft of the Holy Quran and other artifacts of historical importance for probe to CBI in 2015 after Crime Branch of state police failed to solve case.