The Hindu : National : Gurgaon authorities issue notice to Soha Ali Khan

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Gurgaon authorities issue notice to Soha Ali Khan

Special Correspondent

Over arms licence issued to her when she was under-age

CHANDIGARH: After receiving a report from the Jhajjar police, the Gurgaon district administration has issued a show-cause notice to actress Soha Sultan (Soha Ali Khan), daughter of former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, over the issuance of an arms licence to her when she was under-age. She has been asked to file her reply to the notice within a fortnight.

In the notice, Soha has been asked to explain how come on November 5, 1996, she was issued an arms licence when her age was below 21 years whereas according to Section 9(1)(a) of the Arms Act, 1959, the age of the applicant for an arms licence should not be under 21 years. This means that at that time she was under-age for getting an arms license issued, according to Gurgaon District Magistrate Rakesh Gupta.

The second question posed to her is why her father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who was the retainer of the rifle, misused the .22 rifle No.91501 as was alleged in FIR No.191 registered on June 5, 2005, in Jhajjar district in the Black Buck poaching case. The weapon is still in the custody of the Jhajjar police who were investigating the case.

‘Fact concealed’

Soha has also been asked to explain how come while moving an application for renewal of the aforesaid weapon on September 7,2005 to the SDM Office, Gurgaon, she concealed the fact that the rifle entered in her arms licence was in custody of the Jhajjar police. The district administration has asked why her licence should not be cancelled by invoking Section 17(3)(c) and Section 17(3)(d) of Arms Act, 1959. She has been asked to send her reply to the notice and submit her original arms licence in the District Magistrate’s office within 15 days. If no reply is received, it will be presumed that she has nothing to say and the district administration will take appropriate action under law. Mr. Gupta said that the Jhajjar police did not intimate the Gurgaon administration earlier about the misuse of rifle entered in Soha’s arms license.

About the “missing original file of Soha’s arms licence”, Mr. Gupta has directed Additional Deputy Commissioner Abhe Singh Yadav to conduct an enquiry which will examine all aspects of the case including issue of arms licence to the under-age Soha Sultan and fixing responsibility for the missing file.

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