Jammu-Kashmir HC quashes chargesheet filed on JKCA's Farooq Abdullah and co.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a chargesheet against former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah and others in connection concerning money laundering allegations of irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).  On August 14, the state's High Court revoked the charges filed by the ED.

Justice Sanjeev Kumar, who foresaw the proceedings, reasoned that there was no affirmed offence carried out by the individuals in question and the chargesheet was therefore quashed. The ED had charged National Conference chief Abdullah, Ahsan Ahmad Mirza (former treasurer of JKCA), Mir Manzoor Gazanffer (another ex-treasurer of the JKCA), and others in the charge sheet.

The ED filed a charge sheet alleging misrepresentation of funds JKCA received from BCCI. It was reported that Rs 94.06 crore were received in three different bank accounts during the financial years 2005-2006 to 2011-2012 (up until December 2011). As a result, Abdullah, Mirza, Gazanffer, and former accountants Bashir Ahmad Misgar and Gulzar Ahmad Beigh were accused of misappropriating the JKCA funds amounting to Rs 43.69 crore.

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Following the same, the ED filed the case referring to the charge sheet filed by CBI in 2018 on the same accuse, Abdullah and subordinates, while attaching assets worth 21.55 crore with previously three separate orders passed. Moreover, ED arrested Mirza in November 2019, based on the charge sheet and the case is still ongoing.

Our plea was accepted, ED had no jurisdiction over the case: Shariq J Reyaz

Mirza and Gazanffer were represented by Shariq J Reyaz as the latter had reached out to the High Court requesting quashing of the case filed by ED. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju argued on behalf of ED and the judgement was reserved for August 7. However, Reyaz revealed that "our plea that no predicate offence was made out,” highlighting the court’s decision in their favour. Moreover, he also highlighted the point that ED had no jurisdiction over the said case.