Arms licence scam: MHA returns incomplete prosecution proposal

Srinagar, Mar 12: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has returned the prosecution proposal against three IAS officers involved in the arms licence scam, citing missing documents. The officers in question—Yasha Mudgal (AGMUT: 2007), Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (AGMUT: 2009), and Niraj Kumar (AGMUT: 2010)—were under scrutiny, but the Chief Secretary of J&K has now been directed to resubmit the complete proposal within a week.
As per the MHA’s directive, the revised submission must include FIR copies, witness statements, investigation reports, recovery memos, and legal department opinions, among other documents.
The General Administration Department (GAD) of J&K, in a status report submitted to the J&K and Ladakh High Court on December 27, 2024, had earlier conveyed that the UT administration’s views on these three officers had been forwarded to the MHA for a final decision.
Meanwhile, the case of IAS officer PK Pole was still under review, and clarification was sought regarding the jurisdictional aspect for two other officers, Prasanna Ramaswamy G and M. Raju, who had served in Ladakh.
In a separate communication on February 12, 2025, the MHA instructed the Chief Secretary of J&K to forward the CBI’s prosecution sanction proposals for M. Raju (then DM Kargil) and Prasanna Ramaswamy G (then DM Leh), with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
The MHA’s latest status report, submitted on March 8, 2025, reiterated the need for a complete prosecution proposal for the three IAS officers and reaffirmed that the sanction proposal for those who served in Kargil and Leh should be sent with administrative approval.
The arms licence scam case is scheduled for a hearing on March 20, 2025, in the Division Bench of the J&K and Ladakh High Court. [KNT]