Agencies
Chandigarh, March 21:
Actress Soha Ali Khan was today issued show cause notice asking her how she allegedly obtained a gun licence when she was underage and why it should not be cancelled, since it is in violation of the Arms Act.
It also asked her why her father, former Indian cricket team captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who was retainer of the .12 bore rifle, allegedly misused the weapon in connection with the black buck hunting case registered against him in Jhajjar district of Haryana in 2005.
The Gurgaon district administration, which issued the notice in the name of "Soha Sultan" returnable in 15 days, has separately ordered an inquiry into some "missing" original files of the arms licence after receiving the Jhajjar police probe report.
The actress was issued an arms licence on November 5, 1996 when she was a little over 18 years while the eligibility criteria as per the Arms Act, 1959, is 21 years, Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Gupta said.
Based on FIR No. 191 registered by Jhajjar police on June 5, 2005, he said Pataudi "misused" the weapon for allegedly hunting an endangered black buck.
Soha has also been asked to explain that while applying for renewal on September 7, 2005 at Gurgaon, she "concealed the fact that the rifle (No. 91501) entered in her arms license was in custody of Jhajjar police".
"She should have informed the district authorities about this which was her moral duty," Gupta said.
The notice further states that the authotities could cancel the licence and take "appropriate action under the law if no reply is received from her side".
Gupta also accused the Jhajjar police of "not intimating the Gurgaon district administration earlier about the misuse of the rifle entered in Soha's arms license".
He said the District Magistrate has ordered an inquiry by Additional Deputy Commissioner Abhe Singh Yadav on the missing original file where her licence details were entered.
"Yadav will probe all aspects of the case including how a license was issued to Soha Sultan and fixing responsibility for the missing file," the DC said.
Soha has been asked to send her reply to the notice and submit her original arms license in District Magistrate Office in 15 days.