Centre Gives Nod For Prosecution Against J&K Revenue Secy In Arms License Scam
The Central Bureau of Investigation has received approval to prosecute Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Secretary Kumar Rajeev Ranjan for alleged irregularities in granting gun licenses.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has received a nod from the Centre to prosecute Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Secretary Kumar Rajeev Ranjan for alleged irregularities in granting gun licences, reported The Indian Express.
The central government sanctioned Ranjan's prosecution through an order dated November 28, 2024, in a case registered by CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006.
With the go-ahead for the prosecution, Ranjan has become the first IAS officer against whom such a sanction has been granted in the case.
The federal probe agency is investigating irregularities in granting more than 2.74 lakh gun licences between 2012 and 2016, when J&K was still a state, by district magistrates (DMs), deputy commissioners and licensing authorities for "monetary considerations.'
According to agencies, the alleged scam runs into more than Rs 100 crore, as per the report.
The CBI had told the court in October that it was still awaiting prosecution sanction against 16 erstwhile DMs including 13 IAS officers and three KAS officers. The officials were alleged to have issued gun licences "illegally" to "ineligible people" across the country during their posting in different districts of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state.
In November, a High Court Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Chowdhary expressed displeasure over "selective prosecution" in the case. The Court observed that while the CBI already concluded its investigation, the Union Minister of Home Affairs had yet to sanction their prosecution.
The Bench highlighted the case of Ranjan, formerly the Kupwara district magistrate, against whom CBI had registered a case on October 16, 2018.
Notably, to prosecute a public servant such as IAS officers under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the concerned agency is required to procure prosecution sanction.
Earlier this year, the Enforcement Directorate filed a complaint against nearly two dozen people, including Ranjan's father Kripa Shankar Roy, and brother Jyoti Ranjan for prosecution in the Court of Special Judge for CBI cases on charges of money laundering.
The enforcement agency, in its prosecution complaint, stated that the accused had directly hampered the security of the state. It sought action against them under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002.
Trending News
Top Headlines
