Govt snubs Koul panel for delaying probe in 2010 killings

Top government officials said the Commission head is justifying his perks and salary by seeking extension and has been only seeking extensions.  The Koul Commission has been given extension at least five times since its inception a year back even as it was supposed to complete the inquiry in three months. Government is unlikely to grant more extensions to the Commission.

Constituted during the time of former chief minister, Omar Abdullah, the Commission was given the task not only to probe the circumstances that led to the killing of youth in 2010 unrest, but also to identify government forces which had violated the standard operating procedure and killed the youth.

In the month of February this year, sources said Governor, N N Vohra gave  extension to the Commission and it was explicitly made clear that Justice (retd) Koul will complete the report in two months and no further extension will be granted to it.

However, Justice Koul took the plea before PDP-BJP coalition government that the probe records of the Commission were damaged in September 2014 floods. The Commission head was given further extension of three months but it has failed to complete the inquiry, sources said.

The retired Justice has not even filed an interim report with the government and seems to be only interested in getting perks and the salary from the government, a senior government official said. “The extension sought by the Commission is not justified,” added officials.

Justice (retd) Koul is entitled the salary of a sitting High Court judge and gets over Rs 1.5 lakh emoluments each month besides other facilities including residential accommodation and government transport.

Earlier, when the families of those killed had alleged that the Koul Commission had not been entertaining their statements and had delayed the probe, Justice Koul had spoken against them stating that the families were only interested in getting government jobs.

“How can a Commission deliver effectively and in an unbiased manner when it has already taken a view against the families which were demanding justice and had protested that the probe has been slow,” added officials.

It was last year in June that Omar Abdullah-led government, through a cabinet order, approved setting up of Commission of Inquiry to enquire into the circumstances “leading to deaths by firing, or otherwise, in law and order situations in different districts of Kashmir Valley, during 2010”.

“The Commission of Inquiry will also look into the adequacy or otherwise of the force used, fix responsibility, wherever excessive force has been used resulting in fatalities, where due care has not been taken in avoiding such fatalities and suggest measures to avoid the recurrence of such incidents in future and recommend the action to be taken against those found responsible in any such incidents,” the cabinet order read.

On the recommendations of Justice Koul, government also appointed a retired district and session’s judge as Registrar of the one-man Commission. The Commission was given the task not only to probe the circumstances that led to the killing of youth in 2010 unrest, but also to identify the government forces who had violated the standard operating procedure.

When contacted, Justice Koul refused to comment over the issue.