Special court acquits former PDP minister, 2 others in 2019 corruption case
Srinagar, Sep 2 (PTI) Senior PDP leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar Andrabi along with two former officials of J&K Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) has been acquitted by a special court here in a corruption case registered against them six years ago.
Observing that a criminal court has not to act as post office and become mouthpiece of prosecution, Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Surinder Singh, said the charges against the accused under various sections of law were found to be groundless before dismissing the chargesheet filed against them in 2021.
“No case for framing of charge against the accused is made out…accused shall stand discharged accordingly. Their bail bonds shall stand discharged,” the judge said in his 27-page order passed on August 29.
In 2019, the Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police registered an FIR under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Andrabi, the then JKPCC managing director Vikar Mustafa Shonthu and then company secretary, JKPCC, Neeru Chadha.
The FIR was filed after the J&K administration approached the agency, highlighting alleged irregularities in the appointment of Shonthu by the former minister as the chairman of the board of directors of JKPCC.
The case was registered after the fact-finding committee, constituted by the government on November 28, 2018 to look into the affairs of JKPCC, in its report on March 6, 2019 said the appointment of Shonthu in March 2018 is “illegal and in gross violation of the laid down rules”.
The case came to light after the fall of PDP-BJP government in June 2018.
