Jammu: High Court Upholds Validity of Additional FIRs in Fake Gun Licence Case, Orders SIT Probe
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has dismissed petitions seeking the quashing of additional FIRs related to the fake gun licence case, directing a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe two longstanding cases registered in Rajouri district.
The court, however, clarified that this order does not prevent the government from transferring the investigation of all related FIRs to a specialised agency such as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The case originated from a February 7, 2011 FIR at Janipur Police Station in Jammu, after two individuals were caught with 12-bore guns and suspicious weapon licenses. These licenses, issued by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Mendhar (Poonch), carried addresses from various districts, including Kupwara, Kathua, and Budhal.
Subsequent investigation by a SIT revealed that fake gun licenses had been issued from the offices of the Additional District Magistrate, Rajouri, and the SDM, Mendhar. Based on these findings, 216 suspicious licenses were referred to Rajouri Police Station and 179 to Mendhar Police Station, leading to the registration of separate FIRs in 2011. Additional FIRs were later filed in Kandi (2012) and Thanamandi (2015), both in Rajouri district.
Several accused, including government officials, filed petitions seeking to quash the four FIRs, arguing that the matter was already covered under the original FIR at Janipur Police Station.
On July 11, Justice Rajnesh Oswal rejected these pleas, stating they lacked merit and endorsed the arguments made by Senior Additional Advocate General Monika Kohli, who strongly opposed the petitions.
The court ordered that the two FIRs registered in Thanamandi and Kandi be handed over to the existing SIT investigating the Janipur case. It directed the Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, to transfer the investigations accordingly and supervise the SIT’s progress to ensure timely completion and submission of the final report to the competent court.
