Himachal CM's wife skips ED summons; fresh summons issued

New Delhi, Jul 29: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's wife Pratibha after she skipped today's date in connection with the alleged money laundering case against her husband and others.

Official sources said Pratibha was scheduled to appear before the investigating officer of the case today 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 tomorrow 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. Singh has denied allegations of any wrong doing by him and his family.

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.

ED had also conducted searches in this case last year in Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
The agency is probing allegations against 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 FIR (First Information Report) had named Singh, Pratibha Singh, Chauhan and his brother C L Chauhan and they were charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

CBI suspects that during the 2009-11 period, Singh allegedly invested Rs 6.1 crore in life insurance policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan claiming this money to be his agricultural income.

It alleged that 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 Singh while serving as Union Minister invested huge amount in purchasing LIC policies in his own name and his family members through Chauhan.

"Further, Virbhadra Singh, while functioning as Union Minister, Government of India during the period from May 28, 2009, to June 26, 2012, acquired assets, disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of Rs 6,03,70,782 and further tried to justify the same in the form of agricultural income.

"Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh, Chauhan, with whom Virbhadra Singh has signed the alleged MoU for managing his apple orchard and Chunni Lal Chauhan, proprietor of M/s Universal Apple Associates, who purportedly showed purchase of apple of Shrikhand Orchard, have facilitated in justifying the disproportionate assets of Virbhadra Singh and thereby abetted the offence," the ED had alleged.

PTI