JK Acctt Comm reserves judgement on Peerzada case

Srinagar, Apr 6 (UNI) The Accountability Commission today reserved its judgement in the multi-crore Panchayat Ghar electrification scam after Jammu and Kashmir Haj and Auqaf Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed's counsel expressed inability to present fresh submissions in view of the anti-graft panel's previous decision that no final orders will be passed in the case.

Advocate Imityaz Sofi, an associate of senior counsel Zafar Shah, appeared on behalf of the Minister before the Commission here today.

He informed the Commission that no purpose would be served in making fresh submissions in view of the panel's earlier decision that no final orders in the case related to Mr Sayeed will be passed.

The Commission had earlier rejected Mr Sayeed's plea seeking to defer the proceedings against him in a multi-crore Panchayat Ghar electrification scam till his petition for removal of the Chairman of anti-graft panel, Justice R P Sethi, was disposed of by Governor Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha.

The Commission had then stated that it will not defer the proceedings in the case, but will also not pass the final orders.

Mr Sayeed again did not appear himself, but his lawyer filed the application for deferring the proceedings under Section 10 of the Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Act, 2002.

The Minister, in his 40-page petition submitted before the Governor, had sought removal of Justice Sethi from the post of the Commission's Chairman on the grounds that his approach towards him in the case was ''biased'' and as such the case should be transferred to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

In the petition, Mr Sayeed stated that the Commission, which had passed three orders on October 27, November 13 and November 16 last year, was not approaching the case impartially keeping in view a public interest litigation (PIL) pending before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

''Therefore, there exists a dispute between the aggrieved party and the Commission as to whether the Commission is biased towards the aggrieved party and as such the case should be transferred to the High Court,'' the petition said.

The Governor is yet to take a decision on the petition.

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