More than 20 years after a disproportionate assets case was registered against a former Jammu and Kashmir minister, authorities are yet to grant sanction to prosecute him.
The case against former minister Jagjivan Lal of National Conference is among 664 corruption cases registered by the State Vigilance Organisation and Crime Branch against public servants including several IAS officers.
This was stated by chief minister Omar Abdullah in a written reply in the House to a question of CPI(M) MLA M.Y. Tarigami, who wanted details of officers and ministers involved in corruption cases, inquiry conducted and action taken against them..
The case against Lal was registered by SVO in Jammu in 1989 but he is yet to face trial even after 21 years. The office of the speaker of legislative assembly has not decided on the government's request for accord of sanction to prosecute the accused former minister.
According to the data given in the House in 2009, the government had stated that three politicians, including Lal, current agriculture minister Ghulam Hassan Mir and former Speaker Abdul Ahad Vakil, were facing charges in two decade-old cases.
However, there was no mention of the cases pending against Mir and Vakil in 2010 reply. An FIR was registered by Vigilance Organisation Jammu (VOJ) against Mir, who was then minister for law and parliamentary affairs in Ghulam Mohammad Shah-led government, and Vakil.
The two leaders were accused of misutilisation of funds on account of legal aid and making illegal appointments during their respective tenures as Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs.
PDP MLA from Pattan Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari is the only former minister to be proceeded against as the government in 2009 accorded sanction for his prosecution in an 11-year-old case.
Ansari, who was elected on a Congress ticket in 1996 elections, was housing and urban development minister in the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference government as he was allowed to join the council of ministers by his party, which was in opposition.
While some of the IAS officers in the list of accused are facing trial, sanction is yet to be granted against the former director Health Services, Kashmir, Muzaffar Ahmad, in an 11-year-old case relating to purchase of medicines at exorbitant prices.
Ahmad continued as director, Health Services, during the tenure of four different chief ministers — Farooq Abdullah (1996-2002), Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (2002-05), Ghulam Nabi Azad (2005-08) and the incumbent.
Ten cases have also been registered against former district education officer, Poonch, M Y Kohli, over a period of three year in 1990s.