By IANS
Srinagar : The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Monday ordered speedy trial of eight high profile people allegedly involved in the infamous sex scandal that had rocked Kashmir last year.
Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani and Justice Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain directed the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) – investigating the scam – to file charge sheets against eight people whose names had figured in the diaries produced before the court.
The court also sought a status report on the investigation into the scam in which victims had named high profile politicians, bureaucrats, police and paramilitary officers.
The detailed court directive Monday asked CBI to place all records available regarding the accused high profile officers and ministers before the chief judicial magistrate within six weeks for cognisance of all offences under appropriate provisions of law.
The accused named in the CBI diaries include Kashmir’s Transport Minister Hakim Muhammad Yasin; legislators and former ministers Ghulam Hassan Khan (Peoples Democratic Party) and Yogesh Sawhney (Congress); Ashkoor Wani and Sheikh Mehmood (both senior superintendents of police); Niyaz Mehmood, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police; Sheikh Nisar Ahmad and Manzoor Naik.
The division bench in its directive also said the CBI shall conduct speedy and focussed investigations in the cases of Mohammed Yousuf Khan, former chairman of the J&K Bank Ltd., Rajendra Tickoo, the then vigilance commissioner and Zahoor Ahmad Malik, whose names have also appeared in the case diaries of the racket busted in March 2006.
The director general of police (DGP) has been directed to constitute a team of police officers of “proven integrity” to be headed by a DIG to probe cases of sex trade and drug trafficking in Kashmir.
The DGP has also been directed to provide security to people whose names have appeared in the court order Monday.
The court also desired the rehabilitation of the affected girls who were involved in the racket.
Eighteen people including former ministers Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Raman Matto (Congress), senior IAS officer Iqbal Khanday, DIG BSF K.C. Padhi, Two DSPs of state police and the alleged kingpin of the scandal Sabeena were arrested in connection with the case. They were later released on bail and are facing trial at a Chandigarh court.
In a related development, the ruling People’s Democratic Party said it had suspended legislator Ghulam Hassan Khan from the party. His name appeared in connection with the sex racket in Monday’s court order.