Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 7: Considering his statement on case pertaining to forest-land encroachment as contempt, the State Accountability Commission (SAC) has issued notice to Cabinet Minister, Taj Mohi-ud-Din to appear in person on December 17, 2012 to show cause as to why proceedings for commission of contempt may not be initiated against him.
On November 28, 2012, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Taj Mohi-ud-Din issued a statement claiming that Accountability Commission in September 2005 and Vigilance Organization, Kashmir in the year 2011 had conveyed to the Government that no forest land was grabbed by him in Sedhav forests in Shopian district of South Kashmir.
After going through the Minister’s statement, State Accountability Commission called reports from its Deputy Registrar, Srinagar and Assistant Registrar, Jammu in order to verify the factual correctness of the statement.
The Deputy Registrar, Srinagar wing of the Commission in his report to the Commission mentioned that the relevant record for the month of September 2005 available in the Commission’s office at Srinagar was checked and no matter pertaining to Commission disposing of issue of forest land grabbing by Taj Mohi-ud-Din was found.
Similarly, Assistant Registrar, Jammu submitted that during the scanning of record it came to fore that only two cases were disposed of/dismissed by the then Chairman Justice R P Sethi during September 2005 titled “Kuldeep Kumar Koul Vs R A Quadri, Director Handicrafts and Hony Fg Officer Munshi Ram Sharma Vs S I Aurangzeb. It was further submitted that no case regarding involvement of Taj Mohi-ud-Din was disposed of during September 2005 by Commission at Jammu.
After going through the reports of Deputy and Assistant Registrars, Justice Y P Nargotra, Chairperson of the Accountability Commission and Justice Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain, Member of the Commission found the statement made by Cabinet Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din as false, which may amount to contempt of the Commission under the provisions of the J&K Contempt of Courts Act, 1997.
“The office shall frame Robkar and issue notice to Taj Mohi-ud-Din to appear in person on the next date of hearing to show cause as to why proceedings for commission of contempt in terms of Section 20 of the J&K Accountability Commission Act may not be initiated against him”, the order said.
The Commission has directed for listing the matter on December 17, 2012.
The official documents have also revealed that the land grab allegations against Taj Mohi-ud-Din are being probed and the Vigilance Organization is yet to arrive at a final conclusion.
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