CBI has original jurisdiction in Jammu and Kashmir, now that it has been categorised as Union Territory
Highlights
- Sabarimala shrine opens today for the annual pilgrimage season
- Kerala government has clarified the shrine is "no place for activism"
- Security has been heightened around the hill shrine
The CBI lodged two cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, marking yet another procedural shift from the way things used to function before the scrapping of its special status came into effect last month.
With Jammu and Kashmir becoming a union territory from October 31, criminal cases in the region will be registered under the IPC instead of the Ranbir Penal Code.
In this case, the CBI registered a case against Gram Rozgar Sahayak Mushtaq Hussain and Joint Engineer (Civil) Sandeep Singh, both attached to Jungrial panchayat in Rajouri district, for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 each from Civil Contractor Anchal Singh in return for clearing pending bills.
Based on another complaint from Anchal Singh, the CBI filed a second case under the IPC against Ashok Kumar - Junior Assistant with the Block Development Office in Rajouri district - on charges of demanding a bribe of Rs 2,000.
The CBI has original jurisdiction in Jammu and Kashmir, now that it has been categorised as a Union Territory. The probe agency, therefore, has the authority to take up corruption and related cases without acquiring the permission of its administration.
The Ranbir Penal Code, which came into force during the reign of the Dogra dynasty in 1932, was framed on the lines of the IPC. It got its name from Ranbir Singh, who was the ruler of the Dogra dynasty at the time.
The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been bifurcated into two union territories, one called Ladakh and the other bearing its original name. Ladakh, which comprises the districts of Leh and Kargil, will not have a legislature.