J&K HC seeks inquiry report of BJP minister for alleged forest

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed a probe by State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) into the allegations against BJP Minister Abdul Gani Kohli in connection with encroachment of forest land and submission of a preliminary a report within two weeks.
After hearing petitioner Ankur Sharma, Justice Bansi Lal Bhat of the High Court yesterday directed the Director SVO and the Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) to submit within two weeks the status of the preliminary inquiry initiated on the petitioner's complaint against the Minister for Transport.
Sharma had alleged that the Minister had encroached upon more than 10 kanals of forest land (over one acre) in Nowabad-Sunjwan in Jammu.

Keeping in view the seriousness of encroachments of forest land in Jammu, the state government has set up a committee to demarcate the forest land and identify the encroachers.
The Court issued notices to the Commissioner-Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), Director and SSP (SVO), which were accepted by Additional Advocate General P C Sharma.
The Court issued directions to the SVO to file the status of petitioner's complaint within two weeks and also directed the Registry to list this matter for further hearing on July 23.

Sharma pleaded before the Court that he had submitted a complaint on June 16, 2015 to the SVO seeking registration of an FIR against the Minister and officers and officials of the Revenue and Forest Departments for land-grabbing case.

He alleged that neither the FIR was registered nor the preliminary inquiry was finalized solely because of the reason that the accusations were directed against the Transport Minister.
The Transport Minister has allegedly raised an infrastructure on forest land in the form of a B.Ed College, Paramedical Institute, Branch of J&K Bank Ltd along with an ATM, the petitioner's plea said.
The petitioner sought monitoring of the case by the High Court.