SRI NAGAR: After three years of investigations, the J&K High Court on Thursday ordered a CBI probe into the multi-crore scam in the J&K Cricket Association (JKCA), and set a deadline of six months.
This is a setback for former CM Farooq Abdullah, who is one of the accused.
Abdullah, the former JKCA president and eight others have been charged under three sections for “making the sports body a lending agency and operating false accounts”.
The probe follows a PIL filed by cricketers Majid Yaqoob Dar and Nissar Ahmad Khan in 2012.
The scam surfaced in March 2012 after JKCA treasurer Manzoor Wazir filed a police complaint against former office-bearers Mohammad Saleem Khan (then secretary) and Ahsan Mirza (then treasurer) for embezzling `1.90 crore. Subsequent charges claimed the amount to be over `113 crore. Abdullah was JKCA president at that time.
The bench said Abdullah’s complicity was alleged in granting approval to two contradictory resolutions pertaining to operations of accounts to keep accused Ahsan Mirza in control of financial matters despite his ceasing to be a treasurer after elections in 2011.
A BCCI member said JKCA’s annual grants were stopped after the matter came to notice.
“It was seen that `28 crore marked for JKCA wasn’t deposited in their account. Their annual subsidy had been stopped. The board was on the verge of setting up a probe committee, but the plan was stalled,” he said.
N Srinivasan was BCCI president at that time.
In its judgment, the bench observed that after hearing the counsels and pursuing records, it was of the opinion that the investigation had been handled in a casual manner.