Former Jammu and Kashmir CM and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. (File photo)
The CBI on Monday chargesheeted former Jammu and Kashmir CM and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah for allegedly siphoning off Rs 43 crore from grants given by BCCI to Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. The funds were allegedly siphoned off between 2002 and 2011 when Abdullah was the president of the JKCA.
In its chargesheet filed in a special court in Delhi, the CBI has alleged that Abdullah had connived with the treasurer of JKCA and others for undue siphoning off and misappropriation of funds, a CBI spokesperson said.
The CBI has charged Abdullah and three others —the then JKCA general secretary Md Saleem Khan and the then treasurer Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, and J&K Bank executive Bashir Ahmad Misgar — under Ranbir Penal Code provisions related to criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.
Notably, when Abdullah had been called for questioning initially in the case, agency sources had said he was being called as a witness. However, sources said, during the course of investigation, evidence was found against him.
The chargesheet comes weeks after the BJP walked out of the coalition government with PDP in Jammu and Kashmir. The state is currently under Governor’s rule.
Abdullah’s son and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said that his father would be “found innocent”. “I will not be addressing this issue separately except to say that I have no doubt at the end of the legal process my father will be found innocent and free of any allegation of wrong doing,” Omar tweeted.
The CBI, in a statement, said, “It was alleged that the BCCI had given Rs 112 crore (approx) to JKCA from the year 2002 to 2011 as grant for the promotion of the game of cricket in the State, out of which Rs 43.69 crore (approx) was siphoned off and misappropriated by the accused persons.”
The CBI had taken over the case from state police in 2015 on orders of a division bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
The bench comprising then Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Bansi Lal Bhat had pronounced the order on September 3, 2015, on a PIL filed by two cricketers — Majid Yaqoob Dar and Nissar Ahmad Khan.
As per reports, Abdullah in his response to the high court, had refuted the allegations, claiming that his name was being dragged to tarnish his political image.
The alleged scam was earlier probed by a special team of state police, which had failed to conclude its probe after nearly three years, prompting the High Court to hand it over to the CBI in 2015.