Judge adjourns Gulmarg land scam hearing for 'lack of powers'

Srinagar, Dec 15 Special judge anti-corruption court on Tuesday adjourned hearing of the infamous Gulmarg land scam case for want of powers in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.

The first additional district and sessions judge, Baramulla, who is also the judge of the special anti-corruption court for the districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora, has adjourned the hearing of the infamous Gulmarg land scam case for want of powers to try the case.

The case was being heard earlier by Naseer Ahmad Dar, who was transferred and in whose place Mohammad Ashraf Khan was posted.

Khan adjourned the hearing of the case since the Service Regulatory Order (SRO), which would empower him to hear cases under the anti-corruption laws as the special judge anti-corruption court in addition to his duties as the first additional district and sessions judge, has still not been issued by the Union Territory's department of law and justice.

The previous special judge of the anti-corruption court, Naseer Ahmad Dar had on June 11 directed the anti-corruption bureau to further investigate the case and file a supplementary charge sheet in the case.

The Gulmarg land scam case was registered by the then state vigilance commission (now anti-corruption bureau) in 2009.

The FIR was registered against 20 persons, including two senior IAS officers of that time, who were charged for fraudulently transferring large chunks of state land into private ownership in the World famous Gulmarg ski resort.

The division bench of the J&K high court has passed directions to the trial court to expeditiously decide the case.

( With inputs from IANS )

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