Delhi high court to pronounce verdict on Virbhadra’s plea today
ED had summoned Virbhadra, his wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh for questioning
ED HAD EARLIER TERMED SINGH’S PLEA FOR QUASHING CASE PROCEEDINGS AS ‘PREMATURE’ AND ADDED THAT IT WAS ‘NOT MAINTAINABLE’ AS INQUIRY WAS AT A PRELIMINARY STAGE
The Delhi high court is likely to pronounce on Monday its verdict on the plea of Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and others seeking quashing of a money-laundering case against them.
The arguments in the case have been heard by justice RK Guaba, who is expected to give the order.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier summoned 83year-old Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh for questioning in this regard.
The ED had in September 2015 lodged the case against the chief minister and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet on March 31, hours after the high court refused to quash the FIR lodged against Singh and his wife in the disproporthe tionate assets case.
The high court, which had rubbished the chief minister’s claim that the FIR was the result of a “political vendetta”, had paved the way for criminal proceedings which were stalled due to an October 1, 2015 order of the Himachal Pradesh high court restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating and filing the charge sheet against the accused.
The ED had earlier termed as “premature” Singh’s plea for quashing of the money laundering case proceedings.
It had added that the plea seeking a stay on the proceedings was “not maintainable” as inquiry into the matter was at a preliminary stage.
The agency is probing allegations against Singh and his family members of having amassed wealth of ₹6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the Union minister of steel. It has also attached assets worth about ₹14 crore in this case under the PMLA.
In July 2016, LIC agent Anand Chauhan was arrested by the ED under provisions of the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer of the case.