Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, April 11 

The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has suspended the sentence of a retired revenue official convicted in a corruption case, pending the outcome of his appeal.

A bench led by Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi admitted the appeal filed by Bashir Ahmad Dar, a former patwari, who was convicted last month by a special anti-corruption court.

Dar has challenged the March 16 judgment of the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption Court in Srinagar, which sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine under the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act.

The trial court had also awarded an additional one-year jail term under the Ranbir Penal Code, with both sentences to run concurrently.

After hearing the appellant’s counsel, the High Court issued notice to the authorities and sought a response by May 8. Pending adjudication, it ordered suspension of the sentence.

The case relates to allegations that Dar accepted a bribe to provide revenue extracts linked to a disputed land parcel. The trial court had found that the prosecution established the demand and acceptance of the bribe beyond reasonable doubt based on witness testimonies, including those of the complainant and members of the trap team.