STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A law student of Delhi University on Tuesday sought registration of FIR against a BJP minister for encroaching forest land in Jammu and using it for commercial purposes.
The complainant has sought registration of FIR under Section 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act read with the provisions of J&K Forest Act/J&K Forest Conservation Act against Minister for Transport A.G. Kohli and the officials of the Revenue and Forest Departments then posted in the area for grabbing more than 10 Kanals of forest land in Khasra No.356 min situated at Sunjwan Jammu.
The law student Ankur Sharma has sent the complaint to Director Vigilance, State Vigilance Organisation and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Organisation, Jammu.
The complainant further stated that “Through media reports particularly local daily State Times which in its issue dated 1st June, 2015 highlighted that A.G Kohli Minister for Transport, J&K Government (MLA Kalakote) has encroached/grabbed more than 10 Kanals of Forest Land at Nowabad (Sunjwan), Jammu. After going through the aforesaid media report, the complainant visited the spot and found that the story published in daily State Times was based on facts as the aforementioned Institutions were found existing on spot and on enquiry from locals, the complainant was told that the land is owned/possessed by A.G. Kohli who is the Chairman/ Owner of the aforementioned Institutions and further the complainant came to know that the land is not proprietary land but is a Forest Land comprised in Khasra No.356 min falling in Revenue Village Sunjwan, Jammu.”
“According to the provisions of J&K Forest Act/J&K Forest Conservation Act read with the authoritative pronouncement of the Supreme Court in case titled T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad V/s Union of India no non-forest activity can be allowed on the Forest Land both demarcated/un-demarcated but the aforementioned accused (A.G. Kohli) in connivance with the officers/officials of the Forest/Revenue Department then posted in the area encroached/grabbed the aforementioned land and raised huge infrastructure in the shape of Educational Institutions and for this act the accused alongwith the officers/officials of Forest/Revenue Department are required to be booked under Section 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act and J&K Forest Act/J&K Forest Conservation Act as the officers/officials of Forest/Revenue Department then posted in the area acted as mute spectators and allowed the high profile politician to grab the forest land in broad day light. The said officers/officials misused their official position as they were duty bound to protect the forest land from encroachment but for extraneous considerations preferred to remain mum resulting into encroachment of the aforementioned Forest Land as such all these officials have thus committed criminal misconduct punishable under Section 5(2) J&K Prevention of Corruption Act”, the complaint states.
The law student has further sought registration of an FIR under Section 5(2) Prevention of Corruption Act and other relevant provisions of law against A.G. Kohli alongwith the officers/officials of the Revenue/Forest Department then posted in the area so that all are dealt under law.
It is relevant to mention here that Ankush Sharma is fighting against corruption at higher places in the State and has already sought CBI probe into multi-crore infamous Roshini Land Scam by filing CMA No.48/2014 in WPPIL No.19/11 titled Prof. S.K. Bhalla V/s State of J&K & Ors in which the Division Bench of the J&K High Court is monitoring the SVOs probe into Roshini Scam.
Not only this, the law student has also filed an independent PIL titled Ankur Sharma V/s State of J&K & Ors (WPPIL No.14/2015) wherein the complainant has challenged the vires of controversial J&K State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, 2001 also known as Roshini Act in which the Division Bench of the State High Court has restrained the State of J&K from issuing any fresh SRO inviting claims under the impugned legislation. Not only this, the Division Bench has also appointed Advocate Rahul Bharti as Amicus Curie and the said petition is sub-judice.
