The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached seven properties worth Rs 1.56 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Srinagar.

An official quoted by the local news agency KNO said that ED Srinagar has provisionally attached seven immovable properties worth Rs. 1.56 crore of Imran Baba and Sageena Yaseen, partners of M/S Baba Enterprises under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002.

He said that the immovable properties include 17 Marlas land in Mouja Barinambal, 26 Marlas land and a residential house in Hyderpora.

SRINAGAR — A rape accused was arrested in Srinagar district’s Hyderpora area, police said on Monday.

“Police Station Sadder received a complaint from a lady that her minor daughter has been raped by one accused namely Shahid Ahmad of Galwanpora Hyderpora,” police said in a statement issued to the news agency GNS.

“To this effect, a case FIR No. 103/22 under sections 3/4 of POCSO Act and 363, 376, 506 of IPC was registered in Saddar Police Station and an investigation was set into motion,” it said, adding, “After hectic efforts and multiples raids, the accused was arrested within one hour by a special team led by SHO Saddar, Inspector Mudassir Nazar under the supervision of SP south Lakshya Sharma IPS.”

Police said further investigation into the case was underway. “Accused will be produced in court for further police remand tomorrow,” it added.

SRINAGAR — The government has decided to challenge J&K and Ladakh High Court’s judgment regarding the exhumation of the body of Amir Latief Magrey, one of the four persons killed in an “encounter” at Hyderpora area of Srinagar last year.

Allowing a petition by Amir’s father — Mohammad Latief Magrey — a single bench the court on May 27 last had asked the government to make appropriate arrangements for transportation of the body to the native village in Ramban for according burial “sans further delay”.

A senior officer told GNS that the government has decided to file an appeal against the verdict in the Division Bench. Asked about the grounds of challenge, he said, “Same are at the final stage of drafting.”

The court had asked the government to make appropriate arrangements for the transportation of Amir’s body to the native village of Thatharka Seripora in the Tehsil Gool area of Ramban district with “promptitude and without wasting any further time.”

“(The) respondents (officials) are (directed) to make arrangements for the exhumation of the body/remains of the deceased Amir Latief Magrey from the Wadder Payeen graveyard (in Kupwara district) in presence of the petitioner (Amir’s father),” the court had said and asked the government to make appropriate arrangement for transportation of the body to his native village for burial “in accordance with the traditions, religious obligations and religious faith which the deceased professed during his lifetime, provided it is in a deliverable state.”

However, the court had left the government free to impose any “reasonable terms and conditions” regarding exhumation, transportation and burial of the body.

“Since the body must be in advance stage of putrefaction, as such, it would be desirable that the respondents (officials) act with promptitude and do not waste any further time,” the court had said, adding, “However, if the body is highly putrefied and is not in deliverable state or is likely to pose risk to public health and hygiene, the petitioner (Amir’s father) and his close relatives shall be allowed to perform last rites as per their tradition and religious belief in the Wadder Payeen graveyard itself.”

In that situation, the court said, the State shall pay Amir’s father a compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs for “deprivation of his right to have the dead body of his son and give him decent burial as per family traditions, religious obligations and faith which the deceased professed when he was alive.”

The court has held that the right of the next of kin of the deceased to have their dear one cremated or buried as per the religious obligations and religious belief was part and parcel of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

Rejecting the government’s contention that the decision not to hand over the body was taken in the “larger public interest and to prevent the situation of law and order going out of hand”, the court termed it “arbitrary” and against Article 14 of the Constitution of India (equality before law).

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday directed the J&K Government to exhume the body of Ramban youth who was killed in an alleged "encounter" last year in Hyderpora area of summer capital Srinagar.

Sources told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that the High Court has directed the government to exhume the body of Amir Magray, who was killed in the alleged encounter in Hyderpora along with three others.

"If the body is decomposed, the government will pay Rs. five lakh compensation to Magray’s family," said the High Court and directed the government to facilitate the transportation of the mortal remains to his hometown.

The controversial encounter at Hyderpora in Srinagar led to the killing of a dentist along with his employee, a trader and a militant.

It is pertinent to mention that the police had permitted the exhumation of two bodies of Altaf Ahmad and Dr Gull, who were killed in the “operation”, and their re-burial in their ancestral graveyards in Srinagar.

Following the encounter, the Ramban family was seeking the return of their slain son’s body, which was buried in north Kashmir’s Handwara district.

Head of the SIT, DIG Sujith K Singh at a presser earlier this year said that investigation has revealed that Amir was closely associated with the foreign militant ‘Bilal Bhai’, “who was killed in the operation while trying to flee”.

Amir’s father, Mohammad Latief Magray, had filed the petition through counsel Deepika Singh Rajawat in December last year for the exhumation of Amir’s body.