Cricket scam: High Court raps Farooq for being evasive

Ishfaq Tantry 

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 2

The High Court today came down heavily on former Chief Minister and Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) president Farooq Abdullah for being evasive to the court notice in the multi-crore cricket scam.

The court observed that Farooq “cannot play with the courts” and take them “for granted”. These observations were made today by a division bench comprising Chief Justice NN Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice BS Walia in a PIL seeking investigation into the FIR registered with regard to swindling and misappropriation of funds running into crores that were provided by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to the JKCA from 2002 to 2011.

“If you are not provided the status report, does that mean that you will not reply on your own,” the bench observed when counsel Jahangir Iqbal, appearing for Farooq Abdullah, informed that he could not file his reply to the PIL as he was not provided the status report of the Special Investigation Team.

“Last time you said the same thing. Don’t take courts for granted,” the bench observed when Jahangir added that Farooq was out of the country for treatment. “You cannot play with the courts,” the High Court observed while directing Farooq to file his reply to the PIL by or before July 11.

Earlier in his submission, petitioner counsel Mian Qayoom wanted costs imposed on Farooq for failing to file his reply despite the High Court having granted him the last and final opportunity on May 19. “He can be excused this time,” the bench replied before passing the orders.

The SIT, which has sought custodial interrogation of two former office-bearers in their status report before HC, has revealed existence of bogus JKCA accounts. It said a test check of the JKCA records disclosed that the balance sheets did not reflect the proper picture of the state cricket body’s accounts. 

The ongoing investigation has also revealed that the JKCA loaned Rs 1.9 crore to the key accused during a period when Farooq was at the helm of the JKCA, with documents bearing president’s signatures.