JK High Court directs CBI to submit its first report tomorrow

Srinagar, May 15 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today asked the CBI to submit its ''first report of investigation into the sex racket case in a confidential cover'' tomorrow to a division bench hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Kashmir Bar Association (KBA).

Admitting a writ petition, the bench, comprising Justice Hakim Imtiyaz and Justice Bashir Ahmed Kirmani, passed some interim directions in this regard and will hear the case again tomorrow.

The High Court has made the CBI a party in the case.

The court said it will regularly monitor the investigations and asked the CBI to submit its daily report to the bench.

The CBI has been asked to submit its ''first report of investigation tomorrow in a confidential cover'' to the court.

The court also ordered for taking written statements of the girls (victims) allegedly involved in the scandal and directed the authorities to give them complete protection.

It also warned of stern action against those responsible for circulating and publishing the ''lists'' of the girls allegedly involved in the sex racket.

The Station House Officer (SHO) of the area concerned will be held responsible if any person was found to be indulging in any such act, the bench said.

The high court also ordered that no subordinate court will pass any order as far as the bail application of the accused was concerned.

The bench also reserved its judgement for tomorrow on the absence of the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) in the court on May 12 and even during the hearing today.

The court said it will take further action on the matter after receving the report from the CBI tomorrow.

The bench also said that it will pass an order tomorrow on the attachment of local police and civil officials with the CBI for investigating the sex scandal after the Advocate General noted that the State had no objection to it.

The High Court on May 12 had said that the petition on the sex scandal was fit to be treated as a PIL and referred it to Chief Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan for appropriate action.

The Chief Justice in turn listed the case before a division bench for today as per the legal precedence.

Earlier on May 9, the High Court had clubbed the PIL filed by the KBA on May one and suo moto cognisance of media reports about the sex racket taken by Justice Bashir Ahmed Kirmani and listed the matter for hearing on May 12.

UNI AG SK ND1851