NEW DELHI, Dec 1:
The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notices to all defendants in the defamation suit filed by former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, over allegations of a purported “Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam”.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The notice was issued to retired IAS officer Ashok Kumar Parmar, whose allegations form the basis of the dispute, and to other parties named in the suit. Purushaindra Kumar Kurav has sought their responses and listed the matter for hearing on February 3, when arguments on Dr. Mehta’s request for an interim injunction will be taken up.
Mehta filed the suit through Advocates Vasudev Sharan Swain and Nar Hari Singh (AoR), claiming damages of Rs 2.55 crore along with interim and permanent injunctions.The suit asserts that the “JJM scam” allegations are fabricated, malicious and unsupported by any evidence.
According to the pleadings, a sustained attempt was made to create the impression of a large-scale conspiracy where none existed, resulting in harm to his reputation and to the integrity of the mission’s work in Jammu & Kashmir.The suit relies heavily on findings of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which conducted a detailed enquiry into the allegations.
The ACB concluded that there was no financial misappropriation, that tenders were awarded to the lowest eligible bidders through proper e-tendering procedures, that no favouritism took place, and that no loss was caused to the exchequer. The enquiry was formally closed as “Not Substantiated”.The pleadings further highlight that although it was publicly claimed that complaints had been filed before the CBI and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, RTI replies from both institutions confirmed that no such complaints were received. According to the suit, the allegations were built on letters that were drafted and circulated but never actually filed. It also refers to an earlier petition filed before the CAT (Jammu Bench), which the Tribunal dismissed with Rs 1 lakh costs, describing it as “mischievous and frivolous” and intended to harass senior officials.
On the ground, the suit recorded that more than 81% of physical works under JJM were completed in Jammu & Kashmir by June 2025, based on official and RTI data. It said that not a single instance has been identified where work remained unexecuted or where procurement occurred without competition across more than 3,780 village schemes, undermining the core allegations of large-scale manipulation.
The plaint also described what it called a pattern of selective leaks and amplification. It traced 26 letters authored and circulated between 2022 and 2025 and over 140 publications that appeared to track their timing, suggesting a cycle of unverified narratives gaining currency through repetition. The suit claims that this created an echo chamber that presented the allegations as established fact despite the absence of substantiating material. (Agencies)
The post HC issues notices in defamation case by ex CS J&K appeared first on Daily Excelsior.