Sex racket accused former Ministers in custody

Srinagar, Jun 27: A local court today sent former Jammu and Kashmir ministers and sitting legislators Ghulam Ahmed Mir and Raman Mattoo, arrested by the CBI in connection with the sex racket case, to 14-day judicial remand.

The two former Ministers were produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar Mohammad Yousuf Akhoon at his residence here this morning.

The Judge then remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.

Mir, a former Minister of State for Raods and Buildings and a Congress legislator from Dooru in Anantnag district, was arrested by the CBI from the Jammu and Kashmir House at Chanakyapuri in New Delhi on June 20.

Mattoo, a former Minister of State for Industries and Commerce and an independent legislator from Habba Kadal in Srinagar, was also arrested by the CBI from his residence at Gupkar here on June 20.

The CJM had earlier extended the CBI remand of the two former ministers by three days on June 24 which expired today.

Meanwhile, the bail applications of the two legislators, former state Additional Advocate General Anil Sethi and BSF DIG K C Padhi would come up for hearing before a division bench of the High Court, comprising Justice Bashir Ahmed Kirmani and Justice Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain, which is monitoring the investigations into the sex racket case, on July 1.

The bail pleas had earlier been referred to the bench by the CJM on June 23.

The DIG BSF had surrendered before the CBI here on June 7 while Sethi, who was evading arrest since a proclamation notice was issued against him on June 14 by the CJM following a request by the CBI, also surrendered in a local court at Jammu on June 21.

The sex racket case was handed over to the CBI by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on May 1 following allegations that politicians, bureaucrats besides senior police and paramilitary officials were involved in the scandal.

As soon as the scandal surfaced, massive demonstrations erupted in the entire Kashmir valley and the angry protestors attacked the houses of alleged sex racket kingpin Sabeena at Habba Kadal in the old city on June 5.

On May 3, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court took a suo motu cognisance of the case and then on May 12, admitted a public interest litigation filed by the Kashmir Bar Association.

Since then the High Court is hearing the sex racket case and monitoring the investigations into the scandal by the CBI.

UNI