SRINAGAR, Dec 3 (Agencies): The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has raised concerns about the alleged delay in granting prosecution sanctions against bureaucrats implicated in the arms licence scam, questioning whether the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is adopting a selective approach, Bar and Bench reported. The scam involves the illegal issuance of arms licences on a large scale by district magistrates, including IAS officers, between 2012 and 2016.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Chowdhary expressed dissatisfaction with the pending prosecution sanctions, emphasising that influential individuals, referred to as “big fishes,” continue to evade accountability despite serious allegations. The Court noted that this delay undermines justice and termed it a “matter of grave concern.”
Highlighting the case of Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, IAS, who was the District Magistrate of Kupwara, the Court pointed out that despite the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filing a case against him in 2008 under the Prevention of Corruption Act, no prosecution sanction has been granted to date. The Bench observed that such delays cast doubt on the fairness of the process and hinted at a “pick and choose” policy in granting sanctions.
The scam reportedly saw the illegal issuance of approximately 1.53 lakh arms licences in ten districts of Jammu and 1.21 lakh licences in twelve districts of Kashmir. These licences were allegedly issued using forged documents to ineligible persons as part of a conspiracy involving district magistrates, gun dealers, and middlemen in exchange for bribes.
The plea before the Court highlighted specific instances where no charge sheets had been filed despite the registration of FIRs. In a status report submitted on October 15, the CBI stated that investigations were being conducted district-wise and the role of each licensing authority was being examined. However, the Court criticised the lack of progress, particularly in cases where investigations had been completed but prosecution sanctions remained pending.
Granting a final one-month extension to the MHA and the Jammu and Kashmir government to take necessary action, the Court warned of coercive measures if no progress was made by the next hearing on December 30. Advocates SS Ahmed and Supriya Chouhan represented the petitioner, while Deputy Solicitor General of India Vishal Gupta and Senior Additional Advocate General SS Nanda appeared for the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government, respectively.