STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Additional Sessions Judge Baramulla (with powers of Special Judge Anti-Corruption) Jatinder Singh Jamwal on Saturday deferred the orders on framing of charges in the much publicised Gulmarg Land Scam till September, 2016.
This morning, the Judge kept the matter in the post lunch session. However, in view of a High Court order citing the view point of Chief Secretary, the matter was deferred till September.
On May 28, the Court had deferred the orders on framing of charges in the scam for June 25.
A battery of lawyers appeared for the high profile accused Mehboob Iqbal (retd IAS) Former Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Khan (IAS) Former Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, presently Commissioner/Secretary Cooperatives, Sarmed Hafiz, the then Joint Director Tourism, Rafiq Ahmad, the then Assistant Commissioner Revenue Baramulla, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Shah, the then Naib Tehsildar Kunzar, Garib Singh, the then Tehsildar Tangmarg, Farooq Ahmad Shah, the then Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla and more than eight top hoteliers of Kashmir Valley.
Earlier, they had filed their written arguments before the Judge in support of their arguments advanced at the stage of charge/discharge.
On the last date of hearing, Senior Advocate Z.A. Shah, representing the accused, had vehemently argued for discharge of the accused and submitted that Vigilance Organisation had wrongly booked the accused in this case and on the other hand the Public Prosecutor, representing Vigilance justified the registration of FIR and sought framing of charges against the high profile accused.
The Public Prosecutor had further submitted that the accused public servants entered into a criminal conspiracy with the high profile hoteliers/beneficiaries and deprived the State of valuable land running into crores of rupees.
He had also stated that there was no question of granting of ownership rights to the beneficiaries/ hoteliers when the land was outside the purview of the Roshini Act and had been transferred to Gulmarg Development Authority.
