ED files charge sheet against ex-HP CM Virbhadra's son
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today filed a charge sheet in a Delhi court against former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya, in a money laundering case which also involves Virbhadra. Special Judge Arvind Kumar fixed the matter for consideration on July 24, when he will decide on whether to take cognizance of the final report. Here's more.
Charge sheet names two more accused
The charge sheet, filed by special public prosecutors Nitesh Rana and N K Matta, also named Managing Director of Tarani Infrastructure, Vakamulla Chandrasekhar and one Ram Prakash Bhatia as an accused. Both Chandrasekhar and Bhatia are also an accused in a CBI case related to the matter, along with Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and others.
LIC agent, Universal Apple Associate owner among other accused
Besides 83-year-old Singh and his 62-year-old wife, the others named in the ED charge sheet, filed through advocate AR Aditya, are Universal Apple Associate owner Chunni Lal Chauhan, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) agent Anand Chauhan, and two other co-accused Prem Raj and Lawan Kumar Roach.
Anand Chauhan earlier granted bail in the same case
Anand Chauhan, arrested on July 9, 2016, by the ED under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, was granted bail on January 2 in the case. In a separate case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in relation to the matter, the former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, his wife, and Chauhan were charge sheeted along with others.
The accused are also facing trial with a CBI case
Singh and his wife, who have not been arrested so far in any of the two cases, and the other accused are facing trial in the CBI case. The other accused in the CBI case are Chunni Lal Chauhan, stamp paper vendor Joginder Singh Ghalta, Managing Director of Tarani Infrastructure Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, and co-accused Lawan Kumar Roach, Prem Raj, and Ram Prakash Bhatia.
CBI claims Virbhadra amassed around Rs. 10cr during his tenure
The CBI had claimed that Virbhadra Singh had amassed assets worth around Rs. 10 crore which were disproportionate to his total income during his tenure as a Union Minister. The matter was transferred by the Supreme Court to the Delhi High Court which, on April 6, 2016, asked the CBI not to arrest Singh and directed him to join the probe.
Last year, SC transferred Singh's plea from to Delhi HC
On November 5, 2017, the SC transferred Singh's plea from the Himachal Pradesh HC to the Delhi HC, saying it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, but simply transferring the petition in the interest of justice.
