Anti-Corruption Bureau

The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) continued its strong drive against corruption in 2025, focusing on transparency, accountability and clean governance.

According to an official statement, the ACB registered and investigated 78 corruption-related cases during the year. These included 36 trap cases against public servants caught demanding or accepting bribes, 18 cases of disproportionate assets, 15 cases of misuse of official position, eight cases linked to a major land scam involving illegal transfer of custodian land, and one case related to illegal appointments.

The Bureau filed charge-sheets in 43 cases before competent courts, showing its commitment to timely and professional investigations. During 2025, courts decided several cases, resulting in seven convictions and punishment of 13 accused persons.

Along with investigations, the ACB focused strongly on preventive vigilance and system सुधार. It verified complaints, checked suspicious transactions, and issued advisories to close loopholes that allow corruption. During the year, 703 verifications were carried out, and 764 matters were disposed of, including cases pending from the previous year.

In 2025, the ACB issued 41 alert notes and 91 advisories to the government. These highlighted serious procedural gaps and corruption-prone areas found during verifications, surprise checks and complaint reviews. The aim was to improve internal controls, transparency and accountability.

District Vigilance Officers (DVOs) played an important role at the departmental level. Over the last five years, they referred 15,197 matters to the ACB, out of which 12,406 were disposed of, showing a disposal rate of around 90 percent. In 2025 alone, 3,960 matters were disposed of.

The Bureau also carried out 18 new Joint Surprise Checks during the year and completed 19 checks, including pending ones. It registered 25 Preliminary Enquiries, of which 20 were finalised within the same year.

Public awareness remained a key focus. The ACB organised Vigilance Awareness Programmes twice in 2025, including workshops and interactive sessions with citizens, students and government employees. These programmes explained the harmful effects of corruption and encouraged people to report corruption through safe and confidential channels.

Training and capacity building of staff was another priority. Regular training programmes were held for investigating officers, with expert sessions from universities, banks and specialised institutions. The Bureau has also planned future training, including specialised courses for new officers in coordination with the CBI and other agencies.

The J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and assured the public that all complaints are handled fairly, confidentially and professionally. The Bureau called for continued public cooperation to build a corruption-free and transparent Jammu and Kashmir.

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The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday said to have registered cases against two Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) employees for alleged disproportionate assets.

Addressing a press conference, ACB officials said that the duo including Sajid Yousuf Bhat, Chief Financial Officer and Zahoor Ahmad Dar, Executive Engineer SSCL have been booked under cases related to disproportionate assets.

“The case has been registered while searches are underway at 7 locations in this regard,” ACB said without divulging in details.

The ACB said the duo has managed to get assets much higher than their lawful income. “We have registered a case and further details can be shared only after the searches and investigation is completed,” ACB said when asked about involvement of more officials—(KNO)

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Anti-Corruption Bureau on Friday said that it has exposed a nexus of revenue officers and land mafia, wherein around 40 kanals of custodian land in Asarwan area of Jammu has been found usurped by the land mafia.

According to a statement issued here, the ACB earlier unearthed land scam involving more than 500 kanals of custodian land for which 15 FIRs have already been registered for investigation.

The statement reads that inputs were received that custodian land at Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal Jammu, has been fraudulently grabbed by the land mafia in connivance with the revenue and police officers.

“The revenue records have been tempered and land has been sold to various persons. ACB conducted a formal verification wherein it was found that in furtherance of the criminal conspiracy, FORM 3-A (Form Alf) along with power of attorneys (POAs) were obtained from various PoK refugees, alluring them of additional lands and providing them instant money by the conduits of land grabbers, and thereafter insertions/additions regarding additional chunks of custodian lands were made in the revenue records by the officials of the revenue and custodian department, by sheer abuse of their official positions,” it reads.

It added that the land was sold by the conduits and attorney holders to various persons including their own gang leaders and members, by resorting to fraudulent means, thereby causing a huge loss to the government exchequer.

“Owing to the establishmen of, prima facie, nexus of the criminal elements/land grabbers and the revenue/custodian officers in alienation of custodian land through fraudulent means, ACB has registered formal case FIR No. 20/2024 in P/s Central J&K for investigation under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud punishable u/s 7, 13 (1) (a) and 13(2) of PC Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) and sections 120-B, 420, 467, 468, 471 IPC against Pranav Dev Singh, Patwari, Rahaul Kai, Patwari, Aqeel Ahmed, Naib Tehsildar, Rajinder Sharma S/o Jagdish Chander R/o Flora Nagbani Marh Jammu, Varinder Gupta S/o Banarsi Dass Gupta R/o H.No. F-41, Lane No. 6, Near Police Post, Talab Tillo Jammu, Jagdish Chander S/O Dev Raj R/o Flora Nagbani Marh Jammu, Maqbool Choudhary S/o Haji Hameed, officers/officials of revenue, custodian department and others.”

It added that during the course of investigation, after obtaining the search warrant from the special judge anti corruption Jammu, search teams comprising ACB officers, independent witnesses, magistrates were dispatched to around six locations throughout Jammu and its adjoining areas.

“As of now around 16 FIRs have been registered for investigation while verification is still in progress to unearth the remaining usurped custodian land by land mafia in connivance with officers and officials of revenue, police and custodian department,” it reads.

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