Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 15: The age old adage 'justice delayed is justice denied' aptly matches with a recent order issued by Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD) with regard to prosecution of some public servants in the case of illegal appointments made some years back.
Commissioner Secretary H&UDD, Bipul Pathak issued an order on March 4 according to which sanction is accorded for the prosecution of some public servants.
"Now therefore, in pursuance of Section 6 of J&K PC Act, 2006 sanction is hereby accorded for the prosecution of accused public servants namely Mohammad Abbas Dar S/o Mohammad Yousuf R/o Dooru Tehsil Sopore, the then Director Urban Local Bodies, Srinagar, Masroor Ahmad Banday S/o Mohammad Abdullah Banday R/o Banday Mohalla, Handwara the then President Municipal Committee Handwara," reads the order 70-HUD of 2016 dated 04-03-2016.
The order further reads that sanction is hereby accorded for the prosecution of Zahoor Ahmad Dar S/o Abdul Khaliq Dar R/o Hajin, Bandipora, the then Cashier cum Clerk Municipal Committee Handwara, Altaf Ahmad Bhat S/o Ghulam Mohammad Bhat R/o Dadipora (Beneficiary), Mohammad Sultan Bhat S/o Mohammad Yousuf R/o Goripora (Beneficiary), Javid Ahmad Teli S/o Mohammad Maqbool R/o Hajin (Beneficiary) and Akeel Anwar Malik S/o Mohammad Subhan Malik R/o Rigipora Kupwara (Beneficiary).
The order reads that sanction for prosecution is accorded to these public servants for commission of offences punishable under Section 5(1) (D), Section 5 (2), J&K PC Act, Svt 2006 and r/w 120-B RPC in case FIR number 29/2010 P/S VOK. The order further reads that no such prosecution can be launched against an in service public servant without prior sanction from the competent authority as envisaged under Section 6 of J&K PC Act, 2006.
"Whereas, it is alleged that the instant case owes its origin to verification conducted into allegations of illegal appointments made in Municipal Committee Handwara by then President and Executive Officer Municipal Committee Handwara during the period 2007-09," reads the order.
The order further reads: "Whereas, it is further alleged that on the outcome of the verification conducted, it has been revealed that during the period 2007-09 Mansoor Ahmad Banday, the then President Municipal Committee Handwara in league with Abdul Rashid Dar, Executive Officer, Municipal Committee Handwara and others without competence and without following procedure for making such recruitments in gross violation of orders/circulars banning the appointments, illegally for extraneous considerations were found to have abused their official position under conspired plan in league with each other and had given go-by to the recruitment rules, government orders and illegal made the appointments of beneficiaries most of whom were their close relatives."
The order read that among the beneficiaries Shaista Amin, Junior Assistant, Showkat Ahmad Banday and Saleem Akbar Banday, both demolition guards happen to be close relatives of accused President Masroor Ahmad Banday and Imran Rashid Dar, Helper and Umer Rashid Dar, Computer Assistant are two sons of accused Executive Officer Abdul Rashid Dar. It said that most of the beneficiaries were appointed in September 2009.
"Whereas, accused public servants namely Abdul Rashid Dar and Mohammad Subhan Malik, then Executive Officer, Municipal Committee Kupwara have superannuated from active services. Similarly accused public servants namely Shaista Amin, Showkat Ahmad Banday, Imran Rashid Dar, Umar Rashid Dar and Saleem Akbar Banday have left their job/active services, as such no prosecution sanction is required for launching prosecution in the court of law against them," reads the order. |
