SRINAGAR, Oct 9: At least 15 cases of corruption or misuse of official position have been registered against state politicians including four sitting ministers, before the Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission, government told the legislative assembly on Tuesday.
Kashmir is the second most-corrupt state in the country, according to corruption watchdog, transparency international.
The ministers, who have cases pending before the anti-corruption commission, are Abdul Rahim Rather (Finance), Taj Mohiuddin (Public Health Engineering), Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed (Public Enterprises) and Manohar Lal Sharma (Cooperatives).
Former Ministers and legislators facing charges of corruption include Abdul Gaffar Sofi (PDP), Hakim Mohammad Yasin (PDF), Mangat Ram Sharma, Suman Lata Bhagat, Gulchain Singh Charak and Khem Lata Wakhloo (all Congress). Some of the politicians have more than one case pending before the commission.
They include Sayeed, Wakhloo and Charak.
Earlier this year chief minister Omar Abdullah said as many as 137 graft cases were registered against nearly 300 Jammu and Kashmir government officials in the past two years.
“At least 137 cases of corruption have been registered by State Vigilance Organisation against the JK government officials between 2010 and 2012. Of these, 64 cases have been registered in Jammu region and 73 cases in Kashmir Valley,” Abdullah told the state Assembly in March.
In charges against the politicians, proceedings in six of the cases have been stayed by the State High Court after the accused persons filed writ petitions.
While one case has been reserved for judgement by the Commission, the other cases are at various stages of inquiry.
(with inputs from PTI)
