As the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has returned incomplete prosecution proposals for three Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in the high-profile fake arms license scam, the Union Territory administration is expected to submit revised proposals to ensure the case reaches its logical conclusion.
The MHA, through its communication No. 14033/02/2025-UTS, dated February 21, 2025, returned the incomplete prosecution proposals concerning three IAS officers—Yasha Mudgal (AGMUT: 2007), Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (AGMUT: 2009), and Niraj Kumar (AGMUT: 2010)—to the Chief Secretary of the Jammu & Kashmir government. The ministry directed the Chief Secretary to resubmit the proposals within a week.
The Home Ministry has instructed the Union Territory administration to include all necessary enclosures, including DVDs, authenticated copies of FIRs, disclosure statements, witness statements, recovery memos, the investigation report, an executive summary of the investigation, a draft sanction order, the written defense statement of the accused officers along with the investigating officer's specific comments rebutting their contentions, the opinion and concurrence of the Legal Department, and a duly completed checklist as per the Department of Personnel & Training's Office Memorandum dated July 28, 2024. These documents must be submitted to the UT Division of the MHA in New Delhi.
In its latest status report dated March 8, 2025, filed in PIL No. 09/2012 following the order dated January 2, 2025, issued by the Division Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, the MHA informed the court that the incomplete prosecution proposals had been returned with a directive for resubmission within a week after providing the required documents.
Additionally, the Chief Secretary of Jammu & Kashmir has been instructed, via communication dated February 12, 2025, to forward the prosecution sanction proposals for two IAS officers who served in Kargil/Leh to the MHA with the administrative approval of the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
HC Directed MHA to Convey Decision on Prosecution Sanction of IAS Officers
On February 18, 2025, a Division Bench of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary, directed the Union Home Ministry to submit a status report and convey its final decision regarding the prosecution sanction of three IAS officers allegedly involved in the infamous arms license scam.
The officers identified in the case are Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, the then District Magistrate (DM) of Udhampur; Niraj Kumar, the then DM of Udhampur; and Yasha Mudgal, also a former DM of Udhampur.
Over 1.53 Lakh Arms Licenses Issued in J&K from 2012 to 2016
On December 31, 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) revealed in its report that approximately 1.53 lakh arms licenses were issued in 10 districts of the Jammu division and approximately 1.21 lakh in two districts of the Kashmir division between 2012 and 2016. These licenses were allegedly issued by district magistrates in exchange for monetary gains.
The CBI had sought prosecution sanction against eight IAS officers allegedly involved in the scam. The Jammu & Kashmir government, on December 27, 2024, forwarded the prosecution sanction proposal for three IAS officers to the Home Ministry for a final decision.
Earlier, on November 28, 2024, the Home Ministry had informed the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court that prosecution sanction had been granted against Rajeev Ranjan, the then DM of Kupwara, who is currently posted as Commissioner Secretary of the Revenue Department.
On December 31, 2024, the Central Government granted prosecution sanction to the CBI against Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, an IAS officer presently serving as Secretary of the Revenue Department in Jammu and Kashmir, in connection with this scam.
