Rs 500-700 Cr Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Scam: ACB seeks more time to file status report

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: The Additional Session Judge OP Bhagat of Anti Corruption Court today extended the time up to September 30, 2023 for the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jammu to submit the latest status of the complaint dated October 10, 2022 lodged by Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed originally to Director, CBI seeking registration of FIR into Rs.500-700 Crores scam in the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Scheme in the Union Territory of J&K which later came to be transferred by the CBI on April 19, 2023 to the Director, Anti-Corruption Bureau, J&K.
The Additional Session Judge (Anti-Corruption) Jammu on the last date of hearing had directed the ACB to submit the status report by or before September 26, 2023. When this matter of wide public importance came up for hearing, the APP appearing for ACB submitted that he has not received the status report from the ACB Headquarters and he be allowed more time to comply the orders of the Court. On the other hand Advocate SS Ahmed who is the complainant in the matter resisted the prayer and submitted that ACB is taking the matter casually and attempt is being made by the ACB to hush up Rs.500-700 Crores Scam in the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Scheme and he further submitted that a time bound direction be issued to the ACB so that the status of the scam is known to everyone. In the application filed by Advocate SS Ahmed before the Court of Additional Session Judge (Anti-Corruption) Jammu, it has been submitted that after getting RTI inputs from the State Health Agency and Health & Medical Education Department, Government of J&K prima facie established a scam of Rs. 500-700 Crore in the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Scheme in J&K and the complainant lodged a comprehensive complaint dated October 10, 2022 to the Director, CBI seeking registration of FIR in the multi-crore scam. However, CBI did nothing in the matter and kept quiet and did not convey the outcome of the complaint to the whistleblower and it was on February 7, 2023 the complainant SS Ahmed filed an application before Special Judge, Anti-Corruption (CBI Cases), Jammu wherein the complainant sought directions to the CBI to submit the status of the complaint dated October 10, 2022. In the application filed before the Court, Advocate SS Ahmed has submitted that CBI filed a status report wherein it was divulged that the complaint dated October, 10, 2022 has been forwarded by the CBI to the Director ACB, J&K on April 19, 2023. On the last date of hearing, Advocate S.S. Ahmed had submitted that the ACB is under a legal obligation to share the outcome of the Inquiry with the complainant within seven days as held by the Supreme Court of India in case titled Lalita Kumari V/s Govt. of U.P. & Ors wherein the Supreme Court has directed that the applicant/complainant must be informed about the outcome of the preliminary inquiry within seven days. After considering the submissions of Advocate S.S. Ahmed who appeared in person and APP appearing for ACB, the Court of Additional Session Judge (Anti-Corruption) Jammu OP Bhagat further extended the time for ACB to comply the earlier direction by filing the current status of the complaint dated October 10, 2022 lodged by Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, by or before the next date of hearing i.e. Sept 30, 2023.