Srinagar:
An anti-corruption court in Srinagar has dismissed a plea seeking CBI probe into graft allegations against union minister Farooq Abdullah. The application was filed by the son of National Conference worker Syed Yousuf Shah, who allegedly died in police custody in Jammu and Kashmir on September 30. Mr Abdullah is the National Conference chief.
On the day he died, Mr Shah, 61, was summoned along with two other men by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to his residence. Mr Shah was accused by the two other men of his party of taking huge amounts of money in exchange for promising them positions in the government. Mr Abdullah handed Mr Shah to the Crime Branch after the meeting. Twelve hours later, Mr Shah died. While a post-mortem revealed that Mr Shah died of a heart attack, the Opposition and Mr Shah's family alleged that he was tortured and assaulted while in custody.
Abdul Salam Reshi, one of the two men who allegedly bribed Mr Shah, says he was told that Mr Abdullah's father, Farooq, was aware of the illicit deals he struck.
In the plea filed in the anti-corruption court, the counsel had argued that CBI must investigate the allegations of corruption made against Mr Abdullah by Mr Reshi, who was also present at the Chief Minister residence on September 30.
The Chief Minister has said a judicial commission will investigate Mr Shah's death. The Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has refused his request to spare a serving judge to handle the inquiry.