SRINAGAR: Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Sunil Kumar Sharma, on Thursday accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of patronising the main accused in the 2012 MBBS entrance examination scam, alleging that he was granted an extension in service and later appointed as a consultant after retirement.
In a statement, Sharma said Omar Abdullah should not speak on transparency and accountability, claiming that his government had protected the principal accused in the alleged Common Entrance Test (CET)-2012 paper-selling case.
He alleged that Mushtaq Peer, whom he described as the main accused in the sale of question papers for the 2012 Common Entrance Test in return for money, was first given an extension and later appointed as a consultant for the fast-track recruitment of Class IV posts.
Sharma questioned who had approved the extension and post-retirement appointment, alleging that the then Omar Abdullah-led government had patronised the accused.
The BJP leader also questioned the response of the investigating agencies functioning under Omar Abdullah when he served as Chief Minister and held the Home portfolio, alleging that action was initiated only after the intervention of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Referring to the court proceedings, Sharma said the intervention followed submissions by the Amicus Curiae that reports had surfaced of JKCET-2012 question papers being sold before the examination for large sums of money. He alleged that despite specific complaints, the Vigilance Organisation and the Crime Branch failed to act until the matter reached the High Court.
Sharma further alleged that the Chief Minister was displaying “selective memory” by referring to later recruitment controversies while ignoring earlier allegations. He also claimed that allegations of a paper leak had surfaced during the Junior Engineer (Electrical) examination conducted in 2025.
The allegations were made in response to recent remarks by Omar Abdullah concerning recruitment examination paper leak cases in Jammu and Kashmir.
