ACB Registers FIR Against Former Minister’s Son, Ex-JDA Officials In Illegal Approval Of IT Park

JAMMU: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday registered an FIR against Hilal Rather, son of former Jammu and Kashmir minister Abdul Rahim Rather, in connection with alleged irregularities in granting permission for the construction of an IT park in Jammu.

A former vice chairman and former Chief Town Planner (CTP) of the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) have also been booked in the case.

The CBI had previously filed a charge sheet against Hilal Rather in 2020 in Rs 177-crore bank ‘scam’ in Jammu.

The ACB’s case, filed under the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B RPC (criminal conspiracy), names the officers and officials of the enforcement wing, the former Chief Town Planner, the former Vice Chairman of the JDA, and beneficiary Hilal Ahmad Rather, an ACB spokesman said.

The case was the result of an investigation into allegations that the JDA had unlawfully approved an IT Park’s construction for Rather using a backdated site plan for a three-story building, despite knowing there was no legal provision for such a construction, he said.

Verification revealed that backdated permission was granted by the Building Operations Controlling Authority (BOCA) of JDA, stipulating the building be used exclusively for IT purposes, the spokesman said.

Rather violated these conditions, constructing a fifth floor and a porch, and encroaching on the rear setback by building additional structures, the ACB spokesperson said.

The ACB alleged that these former JDA officials colluded with Rather by neglecting their duties and allowing the unauthorised construction, causing a wrongful loss to the government exchequer.

These actions constitute offenses punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy statutes, the spokesperson said, adding further investigations are on.

Previously, on March 14, 2020, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Hilal Rather in the Rs 177-crore bank fraud case within 10 days of taking over the probe.

The charge sheet, presented before the Special Court in Jammu, also named former branch heads of J&K Bank, New University Campus branch Iqbal Singh and Arun Kapoor as accused.

The CBI had alleged that Hilal Rather conspired with bank officials to secure loans totalling Rs 177.68 crore in violation of established rules and guidelines.

The case, initially investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Union Territory (UT), is now being probed by a special investigation team following the CBI’s registration of the FIR on March 4, 2020, at the UT’s request. (PTI)