5 held guilty in J&K sex scandal

After a 12-year trial, the special CBI court in Chandigarh on Wednesday announced five people, including a former Border Security Force (BSF) DIG and a former DSP, guilty of rape in the 2006 Jammu and Kashmir sex scandal.

Businessman Mehraj-ud-Din Malik and former Advocate General of Jammu and Kashmir Anil Sethi were acquitted by the court.

The court will announce the quantum of sentence on June 4.

The case revolved around the involvement of senior police officers, bureaucrats and politicians in the sexual exploitation of minors who were coerced into prostitution.

The victims were paid between Rs 250 to Rs 500.

The five who were held guilty by the court are former DSP Mohammad Ashraf Mir, former DIG of the BSF KC Padhi, Shabbir Ahmad Laway, Shabbir Ahmad Langoo and Masood Ahmad.

The sex scandal came to fore after the Jammu and Kashmir Police came across two video CDs showing Kashmiri minors being sexually exploited.

In May 2006, the names of Jammu and Kashmir ministers, MLAs and other powerful people emerged after which the case was handed over to the CBI.

The apex court shifted the trial to Chandigarh in 2006.

Name of former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah too had surfaced leading to his resignation in July 2009. The resignation was, however, rejected by the state governor.

The entire case was an in-camera proceeding. Code words were used by the CBI to ensure that the identity of the complainants and witnesses was not compromised.