Srinagar, Dec 1 (KNZ):The Jammu & Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday filed a charge-sheet against Dr. Bilquees Ara Sidique, then In-charge Scientist-C at the Pollution Control Committee (PCC) Srinagar, in connection with a bribery trap case registered earlier this year.
The charge-sheet, filed before the Hon’ble Additional Special Judge Anti-Corruption Court Srinagar, pertains to FIR No. 02/2024 registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
According to the ACB, the case was registered on January 8, 2024, following a written complaint alleging that the accused official had demanded a bribe of ₹20,000 from the complainant for issuing a Consent to Operate (CTO) certificate for a bakery unit located at Industrial Estate Khunmoh.
Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap during which Dr. Sidique was caught red-handed while accepting ₹5,000 as part of the demanded bribe. The tainted money was recovered on the spot, and subsequent chemical tests confirmed the presence of phenolphthalein powder on her hands.
The investigation, supported by documentary and technical evidence, established the commission of offence under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. After obtaining the mandatory sanction for prosecution from the government, the ACB submitted the charge-sheet for judicial proceedings.
The court has listed the next hearing of the case for February 12, 2025.KNZ
