Sex racket case put off till tomorrow

Srinagar, June 19 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has put off till tomorrow the hearing on the sex racket case.

Meanwhile, the CBI is likely to file charges in a local court here in the coming few days against the eleven accused, including Border Security Force (BSF) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) K S Padhi, in the sex racket case, top agency sources said today.

They said the CBI has completed the first phase of investigations into the sex scandal which has rocked Kashmir for several weeks.

The premier investigating agency would now file the charges against the eleven accused in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar next week, the sources added.

Besides Padhi, the other accused include a Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Mohammad Ashraf Mir and former state Additional Advocate General Anil Sethi, who was declared a proclaimed offender by the CJM yesterday after he failed to appear before the CBI.

As per the directions of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the CBI submitted a status report of the investigations into the sex racket case on June 15.

CBI counsel and Assistant Solicitor General of India Shabir Ahmed Naik submitted the status report in a closed envelope to Justice Bashir Ahmed Kirmani.

The agency has also completed the investigation and interrogation of owners of eight hotels and guest houses in compliance to the orders of a division bench, comprising Justice Kirmani and Justice Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain, which is hearing the case.

The High Court had earlier expressed satisfaction at certain substantial steps taken by the CBI in the investigations into the sex racket case.

However, it was not yet known if the CBI had recorded the statements of two other girls allegedly involved in the scandal.

Giving directions on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Kashmir Bar Association (KBA), the bench had nominated Principal District Judge, Pulwama Abdul Wahid as a judicial officer in addition to the Principal District Judge, Anantnag in whose presence the statements of the girls could be recorded.

The sex racket case had been handed over to the CBI following allegations that politicians, bureaucrats besides senior police and paramilitary officials were involved in the scandal.

The High Court had first taken a suo motu cognisance of the case and then admitted the PIL filed by the KBA.

UNI AG QAB SB RK1545