Jammu Redefining
3
| February 9--February 22, 2014
C O V E R
S T O R Y
HIGH COURT GRANTS INTERIM BAIL TO SHABIR
HE State High Court on Wednesday directed former minister Shabir Ahmad Khan to present himself before police
in the alleged sexual assault case, but issued directions
to the investigating officer to release him on personal bond
in case he is arrested.
Passing interim order on the anticipatory bail plea of Khan,
Justice Janak Raj Kotwal directed the former minister of
State for Health to present himself before the investigating
officer tomorrow. The court also directed the investigating
officer to release Khan on personal bond of Rs 25,000 in case
he decides to arrest him.
Justice Kotwal, after hearing the counsel for Khan, the victim
and the state, reserved order on the anticipatory bail application. It will be pronounced on Monday. The High Court also
set several conditions on Khan which included not to leave
Srinagar city without prior permission of the investigating
officer.
T
Shabir Khan's
Murky Deeds Dented
Image of Omar govt
(Contd. from Page 1)
restricted his talk to official work.
But as luck would have it he
crossed all lines of professional
conduct as alleged by the woman
doctor in her complaint, and landed
himself in trouble for all his wrongdoings.
The transfer industry under his
charge as claimed by few insiders
flourished but majority of people
maintained eerie silence despite
witnessing malpractices in the
department under his charge.
He even misled the house during
the autumn session of the state
assembly to save his own skin
when dengue deaths were reported
in Jammu region.
As the health department came
under scanner for ignoring the initial
alert warnings and not providing
treatment to patients suffering with
symptoms of dengue, ex- MoS
Health went on to claim that no
such patient was ever treated by
any doctor in Jammu and Kashmir
before washing his hands off the
crucial litmus test.
For last few days ever since FIR
was lod ged against him in the
Saheed Gunj police station,
Srinagar the state police is clueless
and is still searching his whereabouts. The alliance govt, however,
received flak for apparently coming
to the rescue of the congress MLA.
The episode has also dented the
image of the party especially when
the congress was planning a campaign to go to the electorate riding
high on the creation of more administrative units in the state and bringing the state Panchayati Raj Act at
par with the central act after
National Conference agreed to
incorporate certain provisions of the
73rd amendment in the state
Panchayati Raj Act.
At a time when majority of congress men dumped him younger
brother of Dr. Farooq Abdullah and
uncle of Chief Minister Dr Mustafa
Kamal stood by him even in difficult
times claiming that he needed an
opportunity to be heard as nothing
has been proved against him.
EX-MINISTER SHABIR PLEADS INNOCENCE
SSURING full cooperation with police investigation in
sexual assault case against him, former State Health
Minister Shabir Ahmad Khan said he was innocent.
“I have faith in judiciary to get justice,” said Khan, who
arrived here from Jammu following direction by the
Srinagar wing of the High Court to appear before police
Investigation Officer (IO) here on Thursday.
Khan told reporters immediately after landing in Srinagar
from Jammu that he was not absconding. ‘I was with my
people during all these days,’ he said adding that he
approached the court to use his right.
‘I applied for bail which is my right, he said adding he has full
faith in judiciary to get justice.
A
episode has dented the image of
the congress party and the alliance
govt and it is bound to happen. He
said it does not mean that we
should drag him and act irresponsibly.
"These are mere allegations and
nothing has been proved as yet. We
cannot drag him. Even those who
commit murders are given an
opportunity to be heard," said Dr
Kamal while interacting with the
media persons in the central hall of
the state legislature.
The congress MLA should also be
given an opportunity to present his
case before the law enforcing agencies. When asked why the state
police has failed to track him down
in the last couple of days Dr Kamal
said already an FIR has been registered and arrest warrant has been
issued. Law cannot do more than
this. He must be running here and
there to save his name, he added.
Dr. Kamal also admitted the
The opposition party BJP and
PDP has also not left any opportunity to tarnish the image of the
alliance
govt.
PDP
Chief
Mehboooba Mufti has accused the
Omar led govt. of sheltering the
congress MLA and pressuring the
state police force to go slow against
him.
The speaker of the state assembly Mubarak Gul after being
approached by the police team from
Srinagar with the arrest warrant was
left with little choice but to handover
the permission to arrest the
Congress MLA. But six days have
passed and the police continue to
grope in the dark even as the MLA
is waiting for the bail plea to be
heard in the Srinagar wing of the
High Court.