Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a charge-sheet against three engineers and as many contractors in the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Anantnag in south Kashmir for misappropriation of funds meant for execution of work providing and fitting of street lights in the year 2004-05.
A spokesman of the ACB said that charge-sheet was produced in case FIR number 32/2010 registered in Police Station (PS), Kashmir, under section 5(2) of J&K Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act Svt 2006 r/w sections 5(1)(c), 5(1)(d), 409, 468, 471 and 120-B RPC, in the Court.
He said the accused against whom the charge sheet was filed are Ghulam Nabi Ganaie, the then Executive Engineer, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat and then Assistant Executive Engineer R&B Special Sub-Division Kulgam and Abdul Majeed Dar, then Junior Assistant (R&B) Electric Division Camp Office Ananatnag.
The other three accused contractors were Rafiq Ahmad Lone, Mashooq Ahmad Khan and Arsheed Hussain Deen.
Giving details he said the case was registered on the outcome of a verification conducted by ACB South Kashmir.
During investigation, it was found that these accused public servants have abused their official position in league with the accused contractors by virtue of misappropriation of funds meant for execution of work “Providing and fitting of Street Lights” in Kulgam, town by the officials of R&B Special Sub-Division Kulgam in the year 2004-2005.
He said it was found that for 21 works (both Civil and Electric), accused engineers abused their official position and hatched a criminal conspiracy with Mashooq Ahmad Khan, Rafiq Ahmad Lone and Arshid Hussain Deen (contractors) and in furtherance of criminal conspiracy, executed these works on manipulated allotment orders purportedly issued by the then Executive Engineer (R&B) Electric Division, Kashmir in the year 1999 on highly exorbitant rates.
It was further revealed during investigation that the expenditure of Rs 69,60,120 was fraudulently shown against the actual expenditure of Rs 50,94,868 incurred and drawn by these accused public servants in league with the contractors and as such caused huge loss to the State Exchequer.
All the accused persons were presented before the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption Anantnag, in custody, for further legal action.
While Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, and Gulam Nabi Ganaie, and Rafiq Ahmad Lone were arrested on 20-10-2020 and Abdul Majeed Dar, Mashooq Ahmad Khan and Arsheed Hussain Deen were arrested on 21-10-2020.
He said the next date of hearing has been fixed on November 21, 2020.
