Srinagar, 14-08-2024: On August 14, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed the charge sheets filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and others in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). The decision was rendered by a single bench presided over by Justice Sanjeev Kumar, who ruled that no predicate offense had been established against the individuals involved, leading to the quashing of both the initial charge sheet and the supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED.
The Enforcement Directorate had previously named National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, former JKCA treasurer Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, ex-treasurer Mir Manzoor Gazanffer, and several others in the charge sheet. In response, those listed as accused sought the intervention of the high court, arguing for the quashing of the charge sheets. Shariq J Reyaz, the legal representative for Mirza and Gazanffer, argued before the court that the ED lacked jurisdiction in the matter, contending that the charge sheets against his clients should be nullified. The court, after hearing the arguments, reserved its judgment on August 7, with the ED being represented by Additional Solicitor General S V Raju through virtual means.
Reyaz expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, noting that the court accepted the defense’s argument that no predicate offense had been established and that the ED had no authority to pursue the case. Mirza had previously been arrested by the ED in September 2019, and a charge sheet against him was filed in November of the same year, with the trial for that complaint still ongoing. Farooq Abdullah had also been questioned multiple times by the ED in connection with the case.
The ED’s investigation had led to the attachment of assets belonging to Abdullah and others, valued at Rs 21.55 crore, under three separate orders. The ED’s case was initially based on a charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2018 against the same accused. The CBI charge sheet accused Abdullah, Mirza, Gazanffer, and former accountants Bashir Ahmad Misgar and Gulzar Ahmad Beigh of misappropriating Rs 43.69 crore in JKCA funds. These funds had been provided by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to promote cricket in the erstwhile state between 2002 and 2011.
The ED had previously claimed that its investigation revealed that the JKCA had received Rs 94.06 crore from the BCCI, which had been deposited into three different bank accounts between the financial years 2005-2006 and 2011-2012 (up to December 2011). The agency further alleged that several additional bank accounts were opened in the name of the JKCA, into which the funds were transferred. These accounts, along with the existing ones, were reportedly used to launder JKCA funds.