Srinagar, May 5: Congress Member of Parliament from Jammu, Madan Lal Sharma, today accused Party President Sonia Gandhi and Jammu Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of protecting State Assembly Speaker Tara Chand in connection with the Srinagar sex scandal of 2007.

Addressing a public rally at Vilaleg, Sharma said, Azad had intimated Sonia Gandhi that it would be a shame for the party if Tara Chand was arrested.

He also said that former State Pradesh Congress Chief (SPCC) Peerzada Mohamamd Sayeed was also involved in the scandal.

Tara Chand on the other hand said that the final decision rests with the “high command”.

“Everybody knows my image. The party President will deal with this,” he added.

The Kashmir sex scandal surfaced in October last year, leaving the public in the State shellshocked. Three senior politicians including a Cabinet Minister, favoured women in exchange for sex favours.

According to a 211-page order pronounced by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA and former Minister of State Ghulam Hassan Khan, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, the former minister of state, and independent MLA Raman Mattoo were involved in the racket.

Both were later bailed out by a court in Chandigarh. However, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir later pulled up CBI for its investigation and had observed that some people were not questioned or arrested though they were named as part of the prostitution ring run by Sabeena. (ANI)