Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Anti-Corruption Bureau, Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday filed a chargesheet against former Tehsildar Qaziabad, Kralgund, Ghulam Rasool Bhat, and a private individual, Rafi Ahmad Lone, in connection with an alleged ₹1 lakh bribery case that had been under investigation since last year.
The chargesheet was presented before the Court of the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Baramulla, in FIR No. 04 of 2025, after completion of the investigation and after obtaining the requisite prosecution sanction from the competent authority, a procedural requirement in corruption cases involving public servants that typically precedes the filing of formal charges in court.
According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the case originated from a complaint alleging that the then Tehsildar had demanded a bribe in exchange for granting permission to cut walnut trees for commercial purposes, a permission that falls within the routine administrative functions of a Tehsildar’s office in Jammu and Kashmir. Following verification of the allegations by the bureau, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, was registered at Police Station ACB Baramulla, setting the investigation into motion.
The bureau said that during a trap laid on June 20, 2025, the accused public servant was allegedly caught red handed while demanding and accepting the balance bribe amount of ₹50,000 at Kralgund in Handwara, with the private individual named in the case allegedly acting as an intermediary in the transaction. The tainted currency notes used in the trap were recovered in accordance with established legal procedure, and both accused were subsequently arrested before being released on bail by the competent court.
With the filing of the chargesheet, the matter will now be taken up by the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Baramulla, for further judicial proceedings, where both the accused will be required to formally answer the charges framed against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case adds to a growing list of corruption prosecutions pursued by the Anti-Corruption Bureau against public officials in north Kashmir in recent years, part of a broader effort to curb demands for illegal gratification in routine administrative permissions issued at the tehsil level.
