‘Underage’ Indian Actress got gun licence in Gurgaon

Posted on March 19, 2008 0 Comments52


GURGAON: Only months after a boy was shot by his classmate in a Gurgaon school, leading to a furore over the cavalier manner in which the Gurgaon administration issues gun licences, there seems to be fresh evidence of the authorities flouting rules. An RTI application filed by an animal rights activist Naresh Kadyan revealed that actor Soha Ali Khan was issued a gun licence when she was only 18 years old. The law stipulates that no one below the age of 21 can own a firearm.


Admitting to a serious slip on the part of officials, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rakesh Gupta on Tuesday said a show-cause notice would ask the actress to clarify her position on the arms licence issued to her way back in 1996 and she will be given two weeks’ time to file her reply. The administration is expected to issue the notice on Wednesday evening.


According to a copy of Soha’s passport available with the district administration, her date of birth is October 4, 1978. This means that in 1996, she was not eligible for an arms licence, said Gupta. On Tuesday, it also came to light that Soha’s original licence file, along with a number of others, is missing. The administration, anxious to save face, has announced that it would lodge an FIR against unknown persons in this regard. “When the licence was issued, she was a little over 18 years old. This was a gross violation of the provisions of the Arms Act. The FIR will seek further investigation into the role of officials and others involved,” said Gupta.


The Deputy Commissioner noted that rifle number 91501 was registered in the name of Soha Sultan. Her father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was appointed a retainer of this rifle on January 7, 2000. Jhajjar Police records in the black buck poaching case also mention the fact that this rifle was recovered from Pataudi in June 2005, Gupta added. He said that since the case of poaching was registered in Jhajjar district, his office had no record of whether the same weapon was used for the alleged offence.


“We have sought a report from the SP of Jhajjar. We hope to receive the document by Wednesday evening,” he said. The DC added that the licence was issued to Soha in November 1996 and it was renewed in 1998, 2003 and 2005. “The exact date of application for the licence is not available with us since the original file is missing from our records. However, records of the renewed licence are with the administration,” Gupta said.


Despite Times City’s repeated attempts to contact Soha Ali Khan and Pataudi, no response could be elicited from them.


Published by Times of India on 19 March, 2008

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