File photo: Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Chairman of the National Conference
Srinagar: A Kashmir court has dismissed an application filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking additional charges against national conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah and others in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) scam case. The court said the ED cannot be involved in a case already investigated, registered and prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice. Central Bureau of Investigation (Confederation of British Industry).However, the court said there was prima facie evidence against the defendants, including Abdullah, and noted that “the essential elements of the offense under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 409 of the Ranbir Penal Code have been established” and the defendants will be charged accordingly. The court set the case for hearing on March 12, 2026, for charges to be filed.In 2018, the CBI filed charges against Abdullah and others for allegedly misappropriating Rs 43 crore from a grant given to the JKCA by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The CBI alleged that the funds were misappropriated during Abdullah’s tenure as JKCA chairman from 2002 to 2011.The CBI named Abdullah, then JKCA secretary-general Mohammad Saleem Khan, former treasurer Ahsan Ahmed Mirza and J&K Bank executive Bashir Ahmed Misgar in the chargesheet.
