ACB Files Chargesheet Over Illegal Building Permission on Acquired Bus Stand Land in Kupwara | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a chargesheet against a former municipal executive officer, a Khilafwarzi inspector and a private beneficiary for alleged illegal building permission, encroachment and construction on government-acquired land earmarked for the bus stand project in Kupwara.

The chargesheet names Bashir Ahmad Dar, then Executive Officer of Municipal Committee Kupwara, Mohammad Abdullah Malik, then Khilafwarzi Inspector, and Ghulam Mohammad Mir, identified as the beneficiary and attorney holder of the land.

According to the ACB, the case stems from a complaint alleging that municipal land acquired for the construction and expansion of the Kupwara bus stand—compensation for which had already been paid—was encroached upon and used for unauthorised construction. A Joint Surprise Check found that building permission had been granted for a double-storey shopping complex at Bus Adda Regipora without mandatory clearance from the Town Planning Organisation, in violation of the Jammu and Kashmir Control of Building Operations Act, 1988.

Investigators said the land, measuring one kanal and 16 marlas under Khasra No. 661, had already vested with the government for a public purpose, making private construction impermissible. The probe further found that earlier applications for building permission at the site had been declined due to legal impediments, which were documented in official records and inspection reports.

The ACB alleged that the accused public servant approved the permission despite these constraints, causing an estimated loss of Rs 57,37,500 to the state exchequer and jeopardising the planned bus stand project by prioritising private interest over public property.

Following the investigation, a case (FIR No. 14/2022) was registered and a chargesheet filed under relevant provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code before the Special Judge Anti-Corruption Court Baramulla.

The court has listed the matter for the next hearing on April 18, 2026.