Chandigarh: Five convicts in the infamous 2006 Sex Scandal pleaded for leniency in the punishment before a special CBI court on Monday. The court has deferred the pronouncement of quantum of punishment to June 6 now.
A special CBI court in Chandigarh on had held five persons, including a former DIG of the BSF and a former J&K police DSP, guilty in the 2006 Jammu and Kashmir sex scandal.
According to sources at the court the counsel for DIG while pleading for leniency in punishment argued that ‘he had killed 40 militants.’
“CBI argued that DIG Padhi was trust of people in J & K and he should have been the protector of victim,” sources told INS.
CBI Public Prosecutor prayed for maximum punishment for the convicts. The quantum of punishment has been deferred and will now be pronounced on June 6.
Those who were found guilty by the CBI court are Shabbir Ahmad Laway (Shabir Kala), Shabbir Ahmad Langoo, Masoor Ahmad (Maqsood), DSP Mohammad Ashraf Mir and DIG BSF KC Padhi.
Two other accused, including the then Additional Advocate General of J&K, was acquitted by the court of Judge Gagan Geet Kaur.
The sex scandal hit headlines in 2006 after the Jammu and Kashmir police discovered a few Compact Discs showing Kashmiri minor girls being exploited. The minors were forced into the sex trade and were exploited sexually by politicians, bureaucrats, and police officials.
Police later named one Sabeena and her husband, who allegedly ran a brothel in Srinagar, as the prime accused in the case. They also drew up a list of 56 names, which included some high-profile individuals, who were allegedly involved in the scandal.
The case was transferred to the CBI after names of two J&K ministers and several MLAs emerged during the police investigation. Then J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigned in 2009 after his name was also linked to the case. The state Governor, however, rejected his resignation.
Four victims were named as CBI witnesses in the case, of which three turned hostile. The fourth was kept in protective custody due to the sensitive nature of the case.
