Ishfaq-ul-Hassan

Srinagar: Ghost of infamous sex scandal has returned to haunt the Jammu and Kashmir government.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday ordered the chief judicial magistrate to start proceedings against 12 high profile people, including a cabinet minister, a Congress MLA, police officers, bankers and bureaucrats — whose names have surfaced in the infamous sex scandal case.

A division bench of the high court, comprising Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani and Justice Hakeem Imitiyaz Hussain, ordered the CBI probing the sex scandal case, to transfer all the documents and case dairies to the magistrate court for further action.

The persons whose names have figured include transport minister Hakeem Yasin, Congress MLA and former minister Yogesh Swahney, PDP MLA and former minister Ghulam Hassan Khan, SP of central intelligence, Kashmir, Ashkoor Wani, SP Sheikh Mehmood and Manzoor Naik.

“The CBI shall place all records before CJM within four weeks from now,” said Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani in his 200 page judgment. The court asked the CBI to conduct further speedy and focused investigation in cases of former J&K Bank chairman MY Khan, ex vigilance commissioner Raj Tickoo and Zahoor Ahmad Malik.

“The CBI shall conduct fresh investigation regarding Sabeena (the alleged kingpin of the sex racket), Shazia or any other involved girls, DSP MY Mir and Muzaffar Handoo,” Justice Krimani said.

Meanwhile, the order has shaken the political spectrum in the State.Minutes after the judgment, PDP ordered the suspension of its MLA Ghulam Hassan Khan. “We have suspended the MLA from the party. Further law will take its own course,” said PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.

Khan, however pleaded innocence saying a conspiracy has been hatched against him. “Why is it after two years that my name has surfaced? I will fight the case till I am cleared,” he said.

Congress, however, said they have not read the judgment because they have yet to receive its copy. Yogesh Swahney, Congress MLA from Jammu, said he too does not want to comment on the case before going through the judgment.

“I have nothing to say about it. I will see the order first and then react,” he said.