Spl Judge Anti-Corruption frames charges; Court finds prima facie case of benami deals, illegal wealth
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In a high-profile corruption case, the Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Jammu, has ordered framing of charges against Kewal Krishan Sharma, former Additional PRO to the then Deputy Chief Minister, along with his son Ishant Sharma and brother Babu Ram Sharma, for amassing assets disproportionate to known sources of income to the tune of over Rs 3.5 crore.
Delivering the order, Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu Haq Nawaz Zargar held that there exists prima facie material to proceed against the accused under Section 5(1)(e) read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 109, 120-B of the RPC.
The case originated from an ACB probe into allegations that Sharma, originally a Forest Guard, amassed huge wealth while serving as Additional PRO between 2010 and 2015. The investigation revealed a fleet of luxury and commercial vehicles, multiple residential houses, a flat in Ghaziabad worth Rs 75 lakh, expensive electronic items, gold, and cash transactions linked to Sharma and his family. Many of these were allegedly acquired through benami transactions in the names of close relatives and associates.
The Court noted that during the check period (2010-2015), Sharma’s assets skyrocketed from about Rs 10 lakh to over Rs 3.5 crore, whereas the legitimate family income stood at only Rs 92.5 lakh. This represented a 282% disproportionate increase.
The accused were represented by Senior Advocate Vikram Sharma and Advocate Sanpreet Singh for accused No. 1 & 2 (Kewal Krishan Sharma and Ishant Sharma), while Advocate Abhimanyu Sharma appeared for accused No. 3 (Babu Ram Sharma). The Union Territory was represented by Ld. M.A. Almansoor.
The Court dismissed the defense pleas for discharge and ruled that formal charges will be read out to the accused. The trial will now proceed to examine evidence on record.