Court rejects closure report in 22-y-o case

JAMMU: In a much publicized disproportionate assets case of then Deputy Director Food & Supplies registered by Anti-Corruption Bureau (then Vigilance Organization Kashmir), the anti-graft body filed a closure report after 22 long years which was rejected by a court which asked the ACB to further investigate the matter.
In 1997, then Vigilance Organization Kashmir had registered a case against Shabir Ahmad Kanth, the then Deputy Director (Admn.) Food and Supplies Department Kashmir, for having misappropriated huge amount of government money by corrupt and illegal means in league with Mohammad Ashraf Shantoo Assistant Director, Iftikhar Banday, Additional Director Ghulam Nabi Shigan, A.A.O Mehraj-ud-din Khan Transport Officer, Khursheed Alam and Fayaz Ahmad Store Keepers of Food and Supplies Department and also having accumulated huge assets disproportionate to his known source of income in shape of 60 kanals of land and bank accounts/deposits outside state at Delhi and Bangalore.
It was also alleged that accused in league with other staff members sold the food grains in black market and also fixed rates of transporters on higher side.
However, the investigation pertaining to assets of accused found the allegations to be baseless and it was thus closed as not proved.
Additional Sessions Judge Anticorruption Kashmir RN Wattal observed that the casual and mechanical way of investigation is obvious and crystal clear from the observation of IO in the final report itself.
“The complications involved in the investigations of the case with multifaceted allegations and its ramifications outside the state constrained the investigating agency to restrict investigation to the checking of receipt and dispatch of food grains only," he said.
“Another aspect of the case is that property of the accused that he was having during check period has not been investigated thoroughly as the report is silent about the same. The property in the shape of residential buildings in Delhi, Bangalore and Jammu that the accused was having has not been investigated as the final report is silent about the same.
“The allegations against other officers have not been thoroughly investigated as it revealed from final report. The matter requires further investigation in light of the points raised in order. Same, therefore, compels this court not to accept the final report and same is accordingly returned to SSP VOK in terms of section 173 (8) of Cr.P.C for further investigation of the case with the direction to conclude the investigation within a period of three month,” he ruled.