The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha after she skipped on Thursday’s date in connection with the alleged money laundering case against her husband and others.
Official sources said Ms. Pratibha was scheduled to appear before the investigating officer of the case on Thursday but sought exemption citing some personal reasons. They said she has now been summoned to appear next week, the third date of her appearance.
Incidentally, the Delhi High Court is expected to hear on Friday Mr. Singh’s plea where he had sought a direction to the agency to not take any coercive step against him in the wake of the arrest of LIC agent Anand Chauhan in the case.
The agency has also attached assets worth about Rs eight crore against the Chief Minister earlier this year. Mr. Singh has denied allegations of any wrongdoing by him and his family.
The ED had filed a case under criminal provisions of money laundering laws after taking cognisance of a complaint filed by the CBI in this regard in September last year.
The ED had also conducted searches in this case last year in Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
The agency is probing allegations against Mr. Singh and his family members of having amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore between 2009-11, disproportionate to his known sources of income, while serving as the Union Minister of Steel.
The CBI’s FIR had named Mr. Singh, Ms.Pratibha Singh, Mr. Chauhan and his brother C. L . Chauhan and they were charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI suspects that during the 2009-11 period, Mr. Singh allegedly invested Rs 6.1 crore in life insurance policies in his and his family members’ names through Mr. Chauhan claiming this money to be his agricultural income.
It alleged that Mr. Singh attempted to legitimise the same as agricultural income by filing revised Income Tax returns in 2012.
The agency had earlier told the court that Mr. Singh while serving as Union Minister invested huge amount in purchasing LIC policies in his own name and his family members through Mr. Chauhan.-PTI
The Chief Minister’s wife has now been summoned to appear next week
