The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has sharply criticized the ongoing delays in prosecuting high-profile figures implicated in a massive arms license scam. The case, which centers on the illegal issuance of over 2.7 lakh arms licenses between 2012 and 2016, has exposed a troubling pattern of alleged favoritism and procedural inertia.
A public interest litigation (PIL) brought attention to corruption involving district magistrates, including senior IAS officers, who allegedly issued illegal licenses in exchange for bribes. Despite years of investigations and multiple FIRs, the court noted with concern that influential figures implicated in the scam remain untouched.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Chowdhary, questioned the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Jammu and Kashmir government about the selective approach in granting prosecution sanctions. “It seems prosecution sanction is being granted on a pick-and-choose basis, as the ‘big fishes’ are still roaming free,” the court remarked.
To underscore its point, the court highlighted the case of Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, a former district magistrate of Kupwara. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a case against him in 2008 for irregularities in arms license issuance, yet prosecution sanctions remain pending even after more than a decade.
The CBI, which is investigating the scam district by district, submitted a status report revealing that investigations in some cases have been completed. Still, sanctions to prosecute all implicated bureaucrats have not been granted.
The court expressed frustration at the lack of progress and granted the MHA and state government one more month to finalize prosecution sanctions. “Failing this, the court will have no option but to take coercive measures,” it warned.
The scam, which saw arms licenses issued using forged documents to ineligible individuals, allegedly involved a conspiracy between district magistrates, gun dealers, and middlemen. The matter will be heard again on December 30.
