J&K cricket scam: Farooq gets no exemption from personal appearance

SRINAGAR: In a setback to former Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, the trial court has refused to grant him exemption from personal appearance in the multicrore scam involving the J&K Cricket Association.

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 21

In a setback to former Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, the trial court has refused to grant him exemption from personal appearance in the multicrore scam involving the J&K Cricket Association. Farooq has been made as an accused in the chargesheet filed by the CBI.

In his orders, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, Aijaz Ahmad Khan has directed that the applicant/accused be produced by the counsel for the applicant for admitting the accused to bail and thereafter, his application for exemption from personal appearance would be taken up on next date fixed on August 29.

Farooq, who is outside the country and has not returned to Kashmir since the chargesheet was filed against him and three other accused on July 16, had approached the trial court through his counsel Ishtiaq Khan with an application seeking exemption from personal hearing and admission to bail.

The grounds taken for exemption by Farooq in his application were that he is an 80-year-old senior citizen and is not presently in Srinagar. He, however, had not applied for anticipatory bail as admitted in the application. In its objections, the CBI has vehemently opposed the exception from personal appearance to Farooq submitting that the age of the accused cannot be a hindrance in appearance before the court and the application at this stage is not maintainable, adding that the other accused have appeared before the court and were admitted to bail.

After hearing all sides, Chief Judicial Magistrate Ajaz Ahmad Khan in his orders passed on Friday and made available on Saturday, said, “In view of what has been stated herein, and having regards to the judgment (produced), the applicant/accused be produced by the learned counsel for the applicant for admitting the accused to bail and thereafter, the application for exemption will be taken up for consideration.” The Chief Judicial Magistrate posted the matter for August 29, when Farooq has to personally appear before the court.