Srinagar, Dec 13: Jammu and Kashmir High Court has accepted the plea of anti-corruption watchdog, State Accountability Commission, for fast-tracking trial of graft cases pending for many years.
Top sources disclosed to Greater Kashmir that the anti-graft body had formally made a request with the Court for early hearing of the cases including those in which interim orders had been issued.
In this connection, sources said the Court had sought details from the Commission.
“A complete list of the cases has been sent to the High Court,” sources said.
An official said there are more than 15 cases from Kashmir and 20 to 25 cases from Jammu pending prosecution.
“Many of them are high profile in nature wherein there are serious graft allegations against some ministers and bureaucrats. Besides, there are some cases in which the High Court has passed interim orders. The Commission will re-open all the cases,” the official, wishing anonymity, said.
He said there is every possibility that the SAC will take up the process from next week. “There are more than 20 cases in which the High Court has passed interim orders or has stayed the SAC judgments against the accused public functionaries,” the official said.
Sources said the pendency of the cases had also increased due to the fact that most of the orders passed by the Commission between 2006 and 2008 were challenged in the High Court on the ground that the Commission at that time had no full-fledged body and was only headed by acting Chairman.
Sources said the SAC has decided to hire independent counsel to fight its cases in the Court since the prosecutors remain over busy with government cases.
“All the pending cases have been revived and in many cases notices have already been issued,” an SAC functionary told Greater Kashmir.
The Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission Act of 2003 has been recently amended by J&K State Accountability Commission (Amendment) Act, 2011. The former is now being referred to as the “Principal Act.” The Principal Act has been amended to the extent that the SAC shall exclusively deal with ‘public functionaries’.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST