Disproportionate assets: ACB registers case against former Naib Tehsildar

Srinagar, Aug 13: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a corruption case against a former Naib Tehsildar in Jammu for acquiring assets beyond his known sources of income.
The ACB in a statement said it has registered a case, FIR No. 10/2024, under section 13(1)(b) r/w 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 (as amended in 2018) at PS ACB Jammu. The case follows an investigation into allegations that Ashok Kumar, the former Naib Tehsildar of Gharota, Jammu, has acquired assets that far exceed his known sources of income.
The accused Naib Tehsildar was previously arrested in 2022 by the ACB along with his associate, Raman Gupta, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh in exchange for issuing a fard document, the statement said, adding that this led to the registration of FIR No. 06/2022 at PS ACB Central on June 29, 2022, and a subsequent investigation was launched.
The verification process conducted by the ACB has uncovered that Ashok Kumar, during his tenure, accumulated significant movable and immovable assets, both in his own name and in the names of his family members.
These assets include a palatial duplex house near the BDO office in Akhnoor, valued at crores, luxury vehicles, substantial bank account balances, and other valuable possessions. “It was also found that Kumar spent a considerable amount of money on his daughter’s wedding, and his family is reported to maintain a luxurious lifestyle,” the bureau said.
“The probe revealed that the total expenditure and the value of assets amassed by Ashok Kumar are disproportionate to the income he earned from all known sources,” the ACB said, adding that the investigation into this case is ongoing.