Srinagar, Dec 1: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday filed a chargesheet against Dr. Bilquees Ara Sidique, the then In-Charge Scientist-C at the Pollution Control Committee (PCC) Srinagar, in connection with a 2024 bribery case.
The chargesheet was submitted before the Court of the Additional Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Srinagar, in case FIR No. 02/2024 registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
According to the ACB, the FIR was lodged on January 8, 2024, following a written complaint alleging that Dr. Sidique had demanded a bribe of ₹20,000 for issuing a “Consent to Operate” (CTO) certificate for a bakery unit located in the Industrial Estate, Khunmoh. Acting on the complaint, ACB sleuths laid a trap during which the accused was caught red-handed while accepting ₹5,000 from the complainant.
The bribe money was recovered on the spot, and subsequent chemical tests confirmed the presence of phenolphthalein powder on the accused’s hands, the ACB said.
The investigation, supported by what the bureau described as “cogent evidence,” established the commission of an offence under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act by the accused public servant. After securing the necessary prosecution sanction from the government, the ACB filed the chargesheet for judicial consideration.
The court has fixed February 12, 2025, as the next date of hearing.
