Ex-Himachal Pradesh CM, Virbhardra Singh’s son charged by ED

Shimla, July 21: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday filed a chargesheet in a Delhi court against Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya in a money laundering case also involving the former Himachal Pradesh chief minister.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar fixed the matter for consideration on July24, when he will decide on whether to take cognisance of the final report.

The chargesheet, 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 wifePratibha Singhand others.

Besides 83-year-old Singh and his 62-year-old wife, the others named in the ED chargesheet, filed through advocate A R 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, 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 chargesheeted along with others.

The couple, 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.

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.

On November 5 last year, the apex court transferred Singh's plea from the Himachal Pradesh High Court to the Delhi High Court, saying it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, but "simply" transferring the petition "in the interest of justice and to save the institution (judiciary) from any embarrassment".