Jammu, June 11: A local court here Saturday granted anticipatory bail to commissioner secretary Revenue, Aijaz Iqbal in a graft case registered against him by the State Vigilance Organisation.
 According to the FIR, the accused has allegedly abused his official position in his capacity as Managing Director State Financial Corporation (SFC) in October, 2008 after hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused/ beneficiaries.
 The Investigation is as such going on since more than 20 days, but the accused was not arrested or questioned in the case.
 He has been booked in FIR No 7/2011 of P/S VOJ u/s 5(2) sections 5(1) (c) r/w section 5(1) (d) of PC 2006 r/w sections 120-B/420/68 and 471 of RPC registered on May 19, 2011.
 Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu AK Koul, while deciding the bail application, observed that petitioner is Commissioner/Secretary Revenue Department of J&K as such there was virtually no chance of his fleeing justice.
 “The alleged occurrence relates to State Financial Corporation and in his capacity as Managing Director he is said to have in breach of the directions passed by the High Court in the year 2006 in some connected matter and has auctioned some property at a lower rate, which as alleged has resulted in loss to the state exchequer”, the court observed.
 It added that the petitioner may not be in a position to manipulate the record lying in some department, not under his control.
 “It is not the case of VOJ that petitioner is convicted for any offence earlier or he is likely to repeat similar offence in future. The IO has a statutory right to conduct investigation, but how his custodial interrogation is going to help the prosecution has not been clearly spelled out by the IO present in the Court”, the court said.
 It allowed the anticipatory bail plea of the accused and directed him to join the investigation and cooperate with the Investigating Agency.
 “However, in the event of his arrest the petitioner shall be released on bail on his furnishing personal bond to the tune of Rs 50,000 and one surety in the like amount”, the court directed.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST