The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on former J-K Police Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammad Ashraf Mir’s application seeking interim bail on medical grounds in the 2006 Srinagar sex scandal case, Indian Express reported.
Mr. Mir’s application mentions that he is at a high risk of infection during the current pandemic and should be granted bail as per recommendations of a Supreme Court panel.
The trial of the case in which Mr. Mir is convicted had taken place in Chandigarh and he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for rape in May 2018.
A single bench of the HC Wednesday adjourned the hearing of Mr. Mir’s bail application to 2 July to allow the CBI to file a reply in the case.
The 64-year-old describes himself as a “highly decorated police official” of the J-K Police who had been involved in “eradicating terror groups from the disturbed state”,
Mr. Mir in the application said he has been suffering from hypertension and chronic diabetes.
He has prayed before the court that he also be released on interim bail during the pendency of his appeal in the High Court. Mr. Mir’s appeal against the conviction is pending before the HC since 2018.
The 2006 Srinagar sex scandal that allegedly involved the rich and powerful of the valley. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court transferred the probe to CBI from the J-K Police after protests over the alleged sex racket. A number of influential people including two ministers, top police officers and others were accused in the case. Following a protracted trial in Chandigarh, five accused including a former Border Security Force DIG were convicted in the case in 2018.