The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a fresh application before a Srinagar court seeking fresh charges against former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and others involved in the alleged Jammu Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) money laundering case.
This follows the Jammu Kashmir High Court’s decision last month to quash the case.
According to official sources, the ED submitted its plea to the Principal District and Sessions Judge, requesting the inclusion of IPC sections 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) and 424 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property) in the case. The agency’s move comes after the High Court ruled on August 14 that the money laundering charges were not applicable. However, it permitted the ED to pursue additional charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) before a local court.
The ED’s application claims that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) “inadvertently failed” to include these two IPC sections in its initial charge sheet.
The agency is now seeking to rectify this by asking the court to amend the charges under section 216 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The timing of the ED’s move is notable, as it coincides with the ongoing assembly elections in Jammu Kashmir, where Abdullah’s party, the National Conference (NC), is contesting. Abdullah, 86, serves as the NC president and has been questioned multiple times in connection with the case.