<p>Srinagar: The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir</a> Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday carried out searches at multiple premises linked to Vijay Singh Choudhary, Inspector in J&K Police and brother of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, after registering a disproportionate assets case against him in connection with alleged accumulation of wealth running into crores of rupees.</p><p>According to an official statement, the ACB registered FIR No. 02/2026 at Police Station ACB Central under Sections 13(1)(b) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, following a verification into allegations that Choudhary had amassed assets highly disproportionate to his known sources of income.</p>. <p>The bureau said that verification conducted on the basis of specific inputs revealed that Vijay Singh Choudhary, presently posted in the Union Territory of Ladakh, had allegedly raised “huge assets amounting to crores of rupees” while serving at different postings.</p><p>The assets, the ACB claimed, included more than 10 properties in the form of houses, shops and plots of land measuring around 100 kanals (12.5 acres), mostly in the names of family members, relatives and others.</p><p>After obtaining search warrants from the court, ACB teams conducted raids at several locations, including his residence and business premises, including a stone crusher and a tile factory. The agency said incriminating documents were recovered and seized during the searches, and further investigation is underway.</p><p>Vijay Choudhary was transferred to the UT of Ladakh in September 2025. Reacting to the development, the Deputy Chief Minister described the action as “politically motivated” and driven by “revenge”, asserting that his family had nothing to conceal.</p><p>“This fight has begun, and we will fight it legally. We have faith in India’s judiciary and in many good officers in Jammu and Kashmir who will ensure justice. If Vijay Singh is wrong, then he should be punished,” he told reporters.</p><p>Surinder Choudhary alleged that internal rivalry within the police department had stalled his brother’s promotion and that the raid was an attempt to “intimidate and malign” his family.</p><p>The searches assume political significance as Surinder Choudhary currently holds the mining portfolio, a department that has faced repeated allegations of illegal extraction of sand, gravel and boulders across several districts of the Union Territory.</p><p>While the ACB has not directly linked the disproportionate assets case directly to any specific mining contract, sources indicated that the action forms part of a broader scrutiny of suspected illegal mining networks operating in parts of J&K.</p><p>Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into a Union Territory, mining has emerged as a contentious sector. The administration introduced a new mining policy in 2020–21, shifting to an e-auction regime for mineral blocks to enhance transparency and revenue.</p><p>However, the transition also triggered protests by local contractors and transporters, particularly in Kashmir, who alleged that outside firms were cornering leases through the e-auction process, sidelining local stakeholders. Environmental concerns over excessive riverbed mining and allegations of collusion between contractors and officials have also surfaced repeatedly, prompting multiple ACB cases against public servants and private players in recent years.</p><p>The political undercurrent surrounding Wednesday’s raid is sharpened by J&K’s governance structure. In the UT, the police function under the administrative control of the Lieutenant Governor — currently Manoj Sinha — as law and order falls within the L-G’s domain, not the elected government.</p>
<p>Srinagar: The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir</a> Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday carried out searches at multiple premises linked to Vijay Singh Choudhary, Inspector in J&K Police and brother of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, after registering a disproportionate assets case against him in connection with alleged accumulation of wealth running into crores of rupees.</p><p>According to an official statement, the ACB registered FIR No. 02/2026 at Police Station ACB Central under Sections 13(1)(b) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, following a verification into allegations that Choudhary had amassed assets highly disproportionate to his known sources of income.</p>. <p>The bureau said that verification conducted on the basis of specific inputs revealed that Vijay Singh Choudhary, presently posted in the Union Territory of Ladakh, had allegedly raised “huge assets amounting to crores of rupees” while serving at different postings.</p><p>The assets, the ACB claimed, included more than 10 properties in the form of houses, shops and plots of land measuring around 100 kanals (12.5 acres), mostly in the names of family members, relatives and others.</p><p>After obtaining search warrants from the court, ACB teams conducted raids at several locations, including his residence and business premises, including a stone crusher and a tile factory. The agency said incriminating documents were recovered and seized during the searches, and further investigation is underway.</p><p>Vijay Choudhary was transferred to the UT of Ladakh in September 2025. Reacting to the development, the Deputy Chief Minister described the action as “politically motivated” and driven by “revenge”, asserting that his family had nothing to conceal.</p><p>“This fight has begun, and we will fight it legally. We have faith in India’s judiciary and in many good officers in Jammu and Kashmir who will ensure justice. If Vijay Singh is wrong, then he should be punished,” he told reporters.</p><p>Surinder Choudhary alleged that internal rivalry within the police department had stalled his brother’s promotion and that the raid was an attempt to “intimidate and malign” his family.</p><p>The searches assume political significance as Surinder Choudhary currently holds the mining portfolio, a department that has faced repeated allegations of illegal extraction of sand, gravel and boulders across several districts of the Union Territory.</p><p>While the ACB has not directly linked the disproportionate assets case directly to any specific mining contract, sources indicated that the action forms part of a broader scrutiny of suspected illegal mining networks operating in parts of J&K.</p><p>Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into a Union Territory, mining has emerged as a contentious sector. The administration introduced a new mining policy in 2020–21, shifting to an e-auction regime for mineral blocks to enhance transparency and revenue.</p><p>However, the transition also triggered protests by local contractors and transporters, particularly in Kashmir, who alleged that outside firms were cornering leases through the e-auction process, sidelining local stakeholders. Environmental concerns over excessive riverbed mining and allegations of collusion between contractors and officials have also surfaced repeatedly, prompting multiple ACB cases against public servants and private players in recent years.</p><p>The political undercurrent surrounding Wednesday’s raid is sharpened by J&K’s governance structure. In the UT, the police function under the administrative control of the Lieutenant Governor — currently Manoj Sinha — as law and order falls within the L-G’s domain, not the elected government.</p>