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| Alleged encroachment of forest land by transport minister | | uu HC directs SVO to submit status of preliminary inquiry within 2 weeks | | Early Times Report
Jammu, July 7: High court judge Bansi Lal Bhat today directed Director, State Vigilance Organization, J&K and Senior Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Organization Jammu to submit within two weeks the status of the preliminary inquiry initiated on the petitioner's complaint of June 16, 2015 which alleged that transport minister Abdul Ghani Kohli had encroached more than 10 kanals of forest land, falling under khasra No 356 min situated at Nowabad, Sunjwan, here.
He issued notices to the Commissioner/Secretary, General Administration Department, Director, State Vigilance Organization and SSP VOJ which were accepted by AAG P C Sharma and the Court issued directions to the SVO to file the status of petitioner's complaint within two weeks and also directed the Registry to list this matter for further consideration on July 23 next. When this petition came up for hearing the petitioner submitted before the Court towards his complaint dated June, 16, 2015 which he had filed before Director SVO and SSP VOJ wherein he sought registration of FIR under Section 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act against the sitting Cabinet Minister Abdul Ghani Kohli and officers/ officials of the Revenue/Forest Department for grabbing more than 10 kanals of forest land comprised in Khasra No 356 min situated at Nowabad. The petitioner argued that as per the directions of the Supreme Court in case titled Lalita Kumari v/s State of UP, the Vigilance Organization was under obligation to register FIR against the minister as his complaint discloses the commission of cognizable offences or in the alternative the SVO should have finalized the preliminary inquiry within seven days as prescribed by the Apex Court but neither the FIR was registered nor the preliminary inquiry was finalized solely because of the reason that the accusations were directed against the sitting minister of the state. The petitioner submitted that the transport minister had allegedly raised huge infrastructure on the Forest Land in the shape of a B.Ed College, Paramedical Institute, Branch of J&K Bank Ltd. alongwith an ATM and the SVO seems to be under pressure to proceed against the sitting Minister as the officers of the SVO are accountable to the General Administration Department (GAD) being the servants of the state. During the course of arguments, the petitioner pressed for the constant monitoring of the ongoing preliminary inquiry by the high court looking into the gravity of the allegations and the position enjoyed by the encroacher. After considering the submissions of the petitioner and the AAG, Justice Bhat observed that the petitioner is apprehensive of the probe getting derailed looking into the position enjoyed by Kohli and issued directions in the open court to the SVO to submit before the court the status of the preliminary inquiry within two weeks and further directed Registry to list this petition for further consideration on July 23 next.
--(JNF) |
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