Putting into practise its policy of accountability in public life, the Mufti Mohammed Sayeed-led Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday suspended and accorded sanction to prosecute a high-profile bureaucrat.
The orders came afte the State Vigilance Organisation, in a missive to the government, said the anti-corruption department had established a prima facie case of corruption and misuse of authority against the Vice-Chairman of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, Khursheed Naqeeb.
Earlier also the SVO had asked for permission to prosecute Naqeeb, but former chief secretary Ashok Jaitley reportedly sat on the file.
Along with Naqeeb, the blue-eyed boy of former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, two more officers were suspended and attached with the general administration department in connection with a multi-crore scandal involving purchase of harvesters by LAWDA.
The authorities initiated another inquiry into a case of misappropriation of exchequer by Naqeeb when he headed the J&K Tourism Development Corporation.
The inquiry was ordered on the directions of the Jammu and Kashmir high court. The court asked the government to look into the charges levelled against Naqeeb and submit a report within four weeks.
The career of Naqeeb, who was just a manager in a government-run hotel, skyrocketed during the tenure of Abdullah. It was this proximity to the former chief minister that made him controversial.
Naqeeb supervised the laying of Farooq's dream project -- the Royal Spring Golf Course -- in the foothills of Zabarwan hills. The project cost the cash-strapped government Rs52 crores.
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