Early Times Report
Srinagar, July 13: The J&K High court has dismissed a petition for promotion by a Patwari (Revenue official) who is facing trial in a corruption case.
The petitioner, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, who is working as Patwari, had approached the High Court, seeking a direction to the government for grant of promotion to the post of Girdawar from October 2015.
"The alleged misuse of the official position by the petitioner in entering mutations is not in dispute. Investigation was conducted and FIR No.39/1999 P/S VOK was registered against the petitioner and he is facing trial for the offence allegedly committed by him under Prevention of Corruption Act, which is pending," said a bench of Justice Rajesh Bindal after hearing counsel for accused as well as state's senior Additional Advocate General N H Shah.
"Keeping in view the allegations levelled against the petitioner, I do not think that the petitioner deserves relief of promotion, when on the post he was holding there were allegations of corruption for which he is facing trial," the court said and dismissed the petition.
In 2015, the Vigilance Organisation Kashmir presented Challan against Syed Giyas-ud-Din, the then Naib-Tehsildar Rajpora Pulwama, Mohammad Akbar Bhat, the then Girdawar Rajpora, and Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, then Patwari Hardul Hanjan, Rajpora, Pulwama in the Court of Additional Anti-corruption Judge Pulwama for alleged abuse of their official positions for tampering with the mutation of a land measuring three Kanals.
According to Vigilance, the case was registered on the outcome of a verification conducted into the allegations that the accused public servants by abuse of their official positions have mutated land measuring three Kanals Gair Mumkin Abadi in favour of accused beneficiaries namely Wali Mohammad, Ghulam Mohammad, Mushtaq Ahmad sons of Nabir and Abdul Razaq, Ghulam Mohammad, and Mohammad Yousuf sons of Rehman Nangroo residents of Harduhanjan, Rajpora Pulwama.
"The investigation of the case proved against accused public servants and beneficiaries," the Vigilance Organization had said. After the accord of prosecution sanction from government against the accused persons, the Challan of the case was produced in the Court of Additional Anti-Corruption Judge Pulwama in presence of the accused. |
