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| Corruption cases against 3 Ministers, 13 ex-Ministers, 3 ex-MLAs | | CM says Hassan Mir, Pirzada, Taj are tainted | | Ahmed Ali Fayyaz | 8/8/2009 11:45:37 PM |
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SRINAGAR, Aug 8: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has emerged clean as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has publicly disowned the “shame list” attributed to it by PDP’s Muzaffar Hussain Baig but he has admitted on the floor of House in Legislative Assembly on Friday that corruption cases were alive against three of his Cabinet Ministers---Ghulam Hassan Mir, Pirzada Mohammad Sayeed and Taj Mohiuddin. Chief Minister has also revealed that corruption-related cases were also underway with the three integrity watchdogs---State Vigilance Organisation (SVO), Crime Branch (CB) and State Accountability Commission (SAC)---against 13 of the former Ministers (who include three sitting MLAs) and three former MLAs
In reply to a starred question from Harsh Dev Singh of National Panthers Party (NPP), Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, informed the House that matters of “misutilisation of funds on account of legal aid and illegal appointments” were under investigation with Jammu wing of SVO against then Ministers of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, namely Ghulam Hassan Mir and Abdul Ahad Vakil, since 1987. Describing present status of these cases, Chief Minister said in his written reply: “The case is under investigation in the Government”.
Chairman of his own J&K Democratic Party (Nationalist) and once again MLA from Gulmarg, Ghulam Hassan Mir has been inducted into Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet in recent expansion of the Council of Ministers and appointed as Minister of Agriculture. He had earlier functioned as Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs in late Ghulam Mohammad Shah’s Cabinet in 1984-86. After working as a Member of Parliament, former MLA from Sopore, Speaker in J&K Assembly and a Minister in Dr Farooq Abdullah’s NC Government, Abdul Ahad Vakil, has been living in oblivion since his defeat in the Assembly elections of 2002.
Vakil enjoys the dubious distinction of being one among the two politicians from NC against whom a state integrity watchdog has registered and investigated a corruption-related matter. NC’s former MLA from Reasi, Jagjeevan Lal, who had, like Mir, defected to Shah and worked as a Minister in his Government, had been booked by Jammu wing of SVO in a matter of disproportionate assets. Chief Minister said that his case had been referred to Speaker “for accord of sanction (to his prosecution) which is awaited”. All others belong to other political parties.
According to Chief Minister’s reply, senior Congress leader and Minister of School Education, Pirzada Mohammad Sayeed, has been arrayed as a respondent in a matter of swindling of money by SAC which has been filed by a citizen against then Minister of Rural Development, Pirzada Sayeed, and then Director of Rural Development Department, Kashmir, Asgar Ali. After his forcible retirement from service on charges of corruption, Asgar Ali had joined PDP and even contested last Assembly elections, unsuccessfully.
Dogged by a controversy created by former MLA, Shoaib Lone, on account of his demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 40,000/- from the MLA’s sister for recognition of an Elementary Education Training school, Pirzada had been forced to resign as Minister of School Education in GFhulam Nabi Azad’s government in early 2008. Having successfully contested last Assembly elections from Kokernag, in South Kashmir, Pirzada was among nine Cabinet Ministers who were sworn in on the day of Omar Abdullah’s oath-taking on Januray 5th this year. CM has said about present status of the matter against Pirzada: “The case is on the hearing stage. However, proceedings (in SAC) have been stayed by Hon’ble High Court”.
Another senior Congress leader and Minister of Irrigation & PHE Department, Taj Mohiuddin, as well as former Minister and sitting MLA, Hakeem Mohammad Yasin, are facing corruption-related charges in another matter in SAC since 2006. Present status: “Regular enquiry is pending. Proceedings stayed by Hon’ble High Court”.
Former Minister and sitting PDP MLA, Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, former Minister of State for Health, Govind Ram Sharma, former PDP MLA and Minister, Tariq Hameed Qarra, former PDP MLA and Minister, Abdul Aziz Zargar, former Minister and sitting MLA, Abdul Majeed Wani besides former Ministers Mangat Ram Sharma, Dr Ramesh Kumar, Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir and Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi are others against whom cases are under investigation with SVO and SAC. The case against Ansari has been investigated by Crime Branch and it has been reported that challan was being produced in court shortly.
According to CM’s reply, Crime Branch has also investigated two matters against former MLAs, Satpal and Prem Lal, while as SAC has held former PDP MLC and MLA Mohammad Sultan Panditpuri guilty and ordered his dismissal which was later stayed by High Court.
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