IAS officer gets bail

SRINAGAR: A local court on Thursday granted interim bail on health grounds to senior IAS officer M Iqbal Khandey, arrested in connection with the sex racket case here.

It is for the first time that any of the 14 accused persons in the sex scandal was granted bail. Khanday was arrested by the CBI on June 29 on charges of procuring a girl for the purpose of prostitution against a payment of Rs10,000.

Accordingly, he was charged under Section 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956.

Khandey’s bail plea was granted after a report by a team of Doctors from SKIMS institute said the IAS officer was diagnosed to be suffering from cancer, the judge said. He had already been treated for lung cancer and doctors apprehend that his health may worsen under detention.