ACB Charges Six in Rajbagh Illegal Commercial Complex Case in Srinagar

In Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a comprehensive charge-sheet against five officials of the Srinagar Municipal Committee (SMC) and one private beneficiary in connection with an alleged construction case in Rajbagh.
The charge-sheet was presented before the Court of Additional Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Srinagar, in FIR No. 11/2020.
The accused officials have been identified as:
Choudhary Mehraj-Din Bhuja (then ward officer)
Showkat Hussain Hamdani (then ward officer)
Nisar Ahmad Rah (then building inspector)
Gulzar Ahmad Bhat (then building inspector)
Mudasir Hussain Banday (then Chief Executive Officer of SMC)
In addition, a private individual, Mohammad Abdullah Dar of Rajbagh, has also been named as the beneficiary in the case.
According to the ACB investigation, the case revolves around the construction of “Abdullah Shopping Plaza,” a four-storey commercial complex at Kursoo Rajbagh. The probe revealed that permission had originally been granted for a residential house, but the structure was instead developed into a commercial building.
The agency found that the construction was carried out in alleged connivance with SMC officials, who abused their official positions. The investigation concluded that there was a clear criminal conspiracy between the officials and the beneficiary, which the ACB claims has been established beyond doubt.
Following completion of the probe, the ACB obtained government sanction for prosecution of the involved public servants. The charge-sheet has been filed under provisions of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act along with relevant sections of the Ranbir Penal Code.
The court has now listed the matter for the next hearing on May 11, 2026.