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| SAC contests Taj’s ‘clean chit’ claim, issues contempt notice | | Sedhav Land Grab case | |
Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Dec 7: There seems no end to troubles of PHE and Irrigation Minister Taj Mohi-ud-din. Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission (SAC) today issued contempt notice to the well-connected and high profile minister.
In the contempt order issued by State Accountability Commission (SAC) to the PHE Minister, he has been asked to appear in person on the December 17, 2012 to show cause as to why contempt proceedings in terms of section-20 of Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Commission Act may not be initiated against him. Commission has taken serious note of Taj Mohi-ud-din’s claim of land grab allegation having been looked into by the commission in the year 2005.
Accused of having grabbed around 14 Kanals of forest land in Sedhav area of Shopian district in South Kashmir, PHE Minister Taj Mohi-ud-din had in a letter no. PS/HM/PHE/I&FC/12/349 dated 26-11-2012 addressed to Forest Minister Mian Altaf claimed that the “allegations stand looked into by the Accountability Commission in the year September 2005 and probed by vigilance organization, Kashmir in the year 2011 conveying that there is no forest land grab.”
In the same letter, he had asked Forest Minister Mian Altaf to constitute joint committee of officials of revenue and forest department to get the issue settled for all times to come. SAC has taken offence to this claim of Taj, which was reported by all the local English dailies on September 28, 2012. On noticing the news item and referring to a statement purported to have been made by Taj Mohi-ud-din, SAC has said that it called for reports from Deputy Registrar, Srinagar and Assistant Registrar, Jammu of Commission in order to verify factual correctness of the said statement.
Commission has in its notice stated that Deputy Registrar, Srinagar and Assistant Registrar, Jammu both reported that the relevant records for the month of September, 2005 available in the Commission's office at Srinagar have been checked and consequent upon the checking of the said records, no matter pertaining to subject cited above. (I.e. issue of Forest land grabbing by Taj Mohi-ud-din was found to have been disposed of by Commission at its Srinagar Wing in the month of September, 2005 as also reported by the office in this regard).
Commission has said to have searched out the disposal of cases during September-2005 and found out that only two cases were disposed off dismissed by the then Chairman Late Justice R.P. Sethi during September, 2005 titled (I) Kuldeep Kumar Koul Vs R.A Quadri, Director Handicrafts and (ii) Munshi Ram Sharma Vs S.Aurangzeb. it has added that no case regarding involvement of Taj Mohi¬ud-din, Minister for PHE & Irrigation was disposed off during September 2005 by the Commission at Jammu.
From the above quoted reports, commission has observed that statement made by the Cabinet Minister Taj Mohi-ud-din, prima facie appears to be false which may amount to contempt of the Commission under the provisions of the J&K Contempt of Courts Act-1997. Chairperson the commission Justice Y.P.Nargotra and alongwith member, Justice Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain has ordered the commission to frame Robkar and issue notice to Taj Mohi-ud-din to appear in person on the next date of hearing to show cause as to why proceedings for commission of contempt of the Commission in terms of Section 20 of the J&K Accountability Commission Act, may not be initiated against him.
The next date of hearing of the case is December 17, 2012. Fresh evidence has unveiled that PHE Minister Taj Mohi-ud-din was in illegal occupation of 14 Kanals of forest land in Sedhav forest area of Shopian district in South Kashmir. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Vinod Ranjan vide letter no.PCCF/L/Land/2012/NM/2413-14 dated 09-11-2012 had forwarded the report submitted by DFP Shopian vide letter no.DFO/Spn/2241-43/L dated 09-11-2012 into the alleged land grab to Commissioner/Secretary Forest Ejaz Iqbal.
According to the report submitted by DFO Shopian vide no: DFO/SPN/2241-43/2 dated 09-11-2012, PHE Minister Chowdri Taj Mohi-ud-din son of Brigadier Khuda Baksh, resident of Batmaloo has occupied 14 Kanals of forest land in Sedhav area of Shopian.
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