Summons to engineer, wife for property attachment in Kashmir

Srinagar, Apr 6 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir government has issued summons for appearance to a senior engineer whose property had been attached by the Vigilance Organisation after it was found to have been acquired by corrupt and illegal means.

The summons to the then Power Development Department Executive Engineer, Abdul Hamid Shawl, his wife Parveen Shawl and father-in- law Ghulam Mohammad Wani were issued by the Principal Secretary to the Government, General Administration Department, who is the designated authority under sub-section (1) (a) of section 2 of Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act, Samvat, 2006.

The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Vigilance Organisation, had informed the designated authority that Shawl's immovable property had been attached by him on February 2, 2007.

The property included a piece of land measuring 14 marlas and another one kanal and half marla at Lal Nagar, Channapora here.

The SPP, who was the investigating officer in the case, also said the inquiry conducted so far revealed that the property had been acquired by the accused through corrupt and illegal practices in the name of his wife and later transferred in the name of his father-in- law through a 'Hibanama' (an ordinary court document).

The assets acquired were found to be disproportionate to the accused and his wife's known sources of income.

The investigating officer had served upon the accused an order, communicating the grounds for attachment of his property.

Shawl, his wife and father-in-law have now been asked to appear before the designated authority on April 16 at the Civil Secretariat here.

Through the summons, the designated authority has given them an opportunity to be heard and also to enable them to show cause, if any, as to why the SSP's order regarding attachment of their property should be not confirmed.

UNI