Arms license scam: CBI gets nod to prosecute revenue secretary
What's the story
The central government has given the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the nod to prosecute Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan in the Jammu and Kashmir arms license scam.
Ranjan is currently the Secretary of the Revenue Department in J&K. He was earlier the Deputy Commissioner of Jammu.
Legal proceedings
Prosecution sanction granted under Prevention of Corruption Act
The prosecution sanction was conveyed by Pijush Mohanta, Under-Secretary to the Government of India.
Mohanta told Vishal Sharma, Deputy Solicitor General of India in the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, that permission for prosecution under Section 6 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006 was granted on November 28.
The high court is hearing the case at present.
Judicial concerns
Court expresses concern over selective prosecution
On November 25, the high court expressed concern over selective prosecution and delays in granting sanctions against bureaucrats involved in the scam.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Chowdhary had granted a month's time for status reports on prosecution sanctions to be filed by the Centre and UT government.
The court warned failure to comply could result in coercive measures.
Investigation findings
CBI uncovers conspiracy in arms license scam
The CBI's investigation unearthed a conspiracy of district magistrates, gun house dealers, and middlemen who issued arms licenses illegally for money between 2012-2016.
1.53 lakh licenses were issued in Jammu division and 1.21 lakh in Kashmir division during this period.
Despite these findings, prosecution sanctions against influential bureaucrats have been delayed.
The court criticized this "pick-and-choose" approach as a matter of grave concern.