MHA Pushes for Prosecution in Jammu & Kashmir Arms License Scam
Jammu: In a significant move, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has called upon the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to resubmit prosecution proposals against three prominent Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers tied to the ongoing arms license scam. This directive, outlined in a letter dated February 21, 2025, demands a comprehensive proposal against Yasha Mudgal (IAS AGMUT: 2007), Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (IAS AGMUT: 2009), and Niraj Kumar (IAS AGMUT: 2010), including all pertinent documents, within a week.
The MHA’s correspondence highlighted several crucial missing documents that have delayed the prosecution process. These include authenticated FIR copies, witness statements, investigation reports, legal opinions from the J&K Law Department, and a letter from the CBI dated July 23, 2024.
This latest action comes on the heels of an earlier MHA directive on February 12, 2025, which sought prosecution recommendations for two more IAS officers—M Raju and Prasanna Ramaswamy G—requiring approval from the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
In compliance with a court order, the MHA also submitted a status report to the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, revealing that four formal prosecution recommendations had been made for five IAS officers implicated in issuing fraudulent gun licenses—from 2012 to 2016—allegedly in exchange for monetary benefits.
With the case assigned to the CBI in 2017 by former Governor N N Vohra, approximately 1.53 lakh arms licenses were issued in Jammu division and 1.21 lakh in Kashmir division, raising significant concerns over regulatory adherence and governance in the region.
The next court hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2025, as investigations continue to unravel the depths of this high-profile scandal.