Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on clubbed petition seeking quashing of Regional Transport Officer Kashmir’s circular on March 27, mandating the owners who have purchased their vehicles bearing outside number to apply for a new registration within fortnight.

“Heard. Judgment is reserved” ordered a division bench of Justices Ali Mohammad Magrey and Vinod Chatterji Koul .
The court has already made it clear that pendency of the petitions would not be an impediment for the Transport Authorities to screen the vehicles with non-local registration mark for checking their veracity vis-a-vis the documents and the bonafide entry into the territorial limits Jammu and Kashmir. However, the court has said that such exercise shall be undertaken by the officials of the transport department only.

The RTO Kashmir on Wednesday submitted that the decision to notify the circular was taken in a meeting convened by the Secretary to the Government, Transport Department for ensuring screening of the vehicle which bears the non-local registration.

The government has already filed reply to clubbed petitions, seeking directions to quash RTO Kashmir’s circular dated March 27, mandating the vehicle owners who have purchased their vehicles bearing outside registration number to apply for a new registration as per the provisions of Section 47/50 of Motor Vehicle Act 1988 within a prescribed period of 15 days, failing which action as warranted shall be initiated against them.

One of petitioners have also sought directions also clarify by way of a circular or order on the issue of levying of tax on the vehicles purchased outside J&K if the previous owner of the vehicle has already paid the tax on the vehicle.

The petitioner also sought directions to clarify by way of circular from which period the tax is to be levied on the vehicles.  (GNS)

Srinagar: Three unidentified masked gunmen looted cash from a branch of J&K bank and also decamped with a 12-bore rifle of the guard in north Kashmir district of Baramulla.

Official sources said that three masked gunmen, who were wearing PPE kits, barged into the bank in Pattan and fired few shots. ‘The bank guard tried to resist, but he was thrashed and his gun was snatched from him,’ they said.

They said the gunmen then entered the cabin of the bank manager and fired another three shots there. ‘The gunmen later decamped with the cash from the bank and the rifle of the guard,’ they said.

They said outside the bank, the masked gunmen stopped a vehicle and fled from the spot. ‘I don’t know who they were… they stopped vehicle outside the bank branch and forcibly took the vehicle. My daughter, my son, who was driving the vehicle and my wife… all four us were pushed out of the vehicle,’ the owner of the vehicle told reporters.

Official sources said that a police team has been rushed to the spot and investigation initiated to identify the culprits. ‘CCTV footage of the bank and adjoining areas is being reviewed to ascertain the identity of the accused,’ they added.

Srinagar: The Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday conducted raids at various places in Kashmir in connection with scams worth crores of rupees in J&K Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC).

Official sources said that the Crime Branch carried out raids at several places, including the apple township of Sopore in Baramulla, Ganderbal and Nishat in Srinagar on Thursday.

J&K administration in April 2019 handed over the investigation of scams in JKPCC to Crime Branch, which has so far conducted several raids across the valley and collected various incriminating material in connection with the fraud.

They said that this was a major step towards eradication of corruption in the organization, stopping and eliminating backdoor appointments and bringing in a culture of transparency, probity and efficiency.

The government appointed a fact finding committee to look into all these allegations after receiving numerous complaints about the functioning of JKPCC, particularly relating to corruption in civil contracts, illegality in appointments at multiple levels and excessive cost and time overruns.

‘The committee looked into the manner of awarding contracts to contractors often on a nomination basis without following transparent tendering procedures, diverting funds from one project to another leading to a large number of incomplete projects,’ they said.

Apart from these, it also looked into irregularities in appointments at various levels, including that of the Managing Director, inefficiency in functioning and huge time and cost overruns in project implementation, reasons for estimates for construction being much higher than those of the PWD.

They said the committee submitted a voluminous report bringing out in detail large irregularities in the operation of the JKPCC and recommended on improving the organization. ‘There are many elements in the findings and observations in the report which are quite alarming and a cause of serious concern,’ the committee said in its report.

For an organisation which is over 50 years old, its operations seem to be riddled with ad-hoc functioning, absence of rules and a lack of systematic procedures, it said.

Keeping in view the seriousness of the matter and the findings of the committee, the government decided a probe by crime branch into execution of construction works and irregular procedures in violation of government orders, they added.

Srinagar: Police on Thursday claimed to have solved a blind murder case by arresting two accused, including the wife of the deceased and her paramour, in north Kashmir district of Baramulla.

A police spokesman said during the intervening night of 8th/9th of March 2021, one person Mohammad Altaf Malik son of Gh Rasool Malik resident of Seriwarpora son in law of Late Abdul Razaq Ganie was found dead near his cowshed at Renji. He was later buried by family members at Renji Graveyard.

“On 22nd of March, brother of the deceased person submitted an application for initiating inquest proceedings as he and his family members were suspicious regarding his death,” he said.

Accordingly as per formal orders of DM Baramulla, the body of the deceased person was exhumed and post mortem was conducted by a penal of doctors from GMC Baramulla. After the receipt of interim Medical Report and the statements of some prime witnesses, the inquest proceedings under section 174 CrPC were converted into FIR vide No. 62/2021 under section 302 IPC of Police Station Pattan. A Special Investigating Team was constituted which was headed by SDPO Pattan.

“ During the course of investigation, the SIT using human and technical intelligence zeroed in on the wife of the deceased person identified as Tasleema Begum and was called for questioning. During questioning, she confessed her involvement in the commission of crime along with another person identified as Ghulam Mohammad Dar son of Mohammad Ramzan Dar resident of Renji. She further disclosed that they had hatched conspiracy to kill the deceased a month before the occurrence as they were in an illegitimate relationship,” the spokesman siad.

The investigating team further learnt that, on 8th of March 2021, duo gave the final touch to their plan and accordingly (wife of deceased person) Tasleema called Ghulam Mohammad during night and they both bludgeoned Mohammad Altaf Malik (now deceased person) to death. Thereafter they took the body and threw it near cowshed to conceal the manner of death and camouflage it as death due to slipping.

“Both the accused persons have been arrested by the police and shifted to Police Station where they remain in custody, besides weapon of offence has also been recovered on their disclosure. Further investigation into the matter is in progress,” added the spokesman.