The CBI on Thursday questioned Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in connection with allegations that he, his wife and associates had amassed assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The Chief Minister has been summoned to appear again on Friday. According to the agency, Mr. Singh was unable to give an explanation when confronted with evidence.
“We have a foolproof case against him, his associates and partners. When he was asked to explain the properties acquired in the name of his children, he said the question should rather be posed to them,” said a CBI official. Sources said the agency had prepared a list of 110 questions for Mr. Singh. On Thursday, it sought answers to 36.
The CBI had registered the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act last September and conducted searches in Delhi, Shimla and Solan in Himachal Pradesh. An 18-member team raided the Chief Minister’s Shimla residence after he, along with his family members, had left for his daughter’s wedding.
Among those named in the FIR are Mr. Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh and associates Anand and Chunni Lal Chauhan. “The other accused will soon be summoned for questioning,” said the official.
It has been alleged that Mr. Singh amassed unaccounted-for assets worth Rs.6.03 crore in his name and in the names of his family members during his 2009-2012 tenure as Union Minister of Steel.
