Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 3: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed the Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police not to disclose names of the persons involved in the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Exams (JKBOPEE), Common Entrance Test- 2012 scam as it will hamper the investigations.
The Division Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court comprising Justice Mohammad Yaqub Mir and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar directed the Crime Branch officials not to disclose names of the accused until the investigation is concluded. “The Investigations will be hijacked”, observed the court.
The court order further says: “It is further stated that the links of 16 candidates are under investigation. In addition, there is good number of candidates whose credentials are still under probe, whose names have not been divulged, rightly so, because the investigating agency has to reach to the plot of the crime.”
Sources didn’t rule out politically influential candidates as beneficiaries of the CET-2012 scam. “Crime Branch doesn’t want to divulge further names as they feel it will hamper the investigations and kingpins along with the influential candidates may try to sabotage the investigation process”, sources said.
The Court directed the investigating agency to collect the details of the moveable and immovable property of kingpin (Peer) and Farooq Ahmad Itoo, Sajjad Ahmad Bhat and Haroon Rashid including their dependent family members.
The court has also directed that the four kingpins of the scam and their dependents shall not create any third party interest vis-a-vis their property.
The court has also directed the Advocate General Mohammad Ishaq Qadri to submit the inquiry report of the Government to the court in a sealed cover. It may be mentioned here that Government had initiated a separate inquiry into the scam and its report has already been submitted to the Government.
The Court appreciated investigations of the Crime Branch and observed: “They have done good and commendable job. They are doing well and must take it to the logical conclusion.”
The Court also observed that the issue should not be politicised. “This court stood up for these children. This should not be politicised. Nobody came forward when it surfaced”, court observed.
The Court pulled up the Counsel of the former BOPEE chairman who had moved an application praying for restraining the media from adverse reporting of the CET-2012 scam.
“Do you think we should muzzle the press. It is the press that played pioneering role. We can’t direct them to stop reporting. They (BOPEE officials) have brought havoc to the nation. Should we stop the press from writing against this person (Peer)?”, the court observed.
The Crime Branch in its status report to the court has given details of transactions of Shafiqur Rehman, Amira Shakeel, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, Khursheed Ahmad Dar, Bazila Bilal Veid, Naveed Ahmad, Yasir Yusuf Dar and Yasir Yusuf Hajam.
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