DA case: Delhi court orders framing of charges against Virbhadra Singh, others

A here court on Monday ordered the framing of criminal misconduct charges against former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and others in a disproportionate assests case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj said that charges will be formally framed against Singh, his wife Pratibha and seven other accused on January 7.

The CBI had alleged that Virbhadra Singh was in possession of assets worth around Rs. 10 crore in his name as well as in those of his family members.

The CBI said that Singh has failed to give a satisfactory answer regarding the assets which did not tally with his known income.

The court has ordered to frame charges under Section 13 (2) read with Section 13 (1) (e) of Prevention of Corruption Act (public servant who commits criminal misconduct and possesses pecuniary resources or property disproportionate to his known sources of income) against the former minister.

The court has also ordered framing of charges under Section 465 (forgery), Section 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court has ordered to frame charges dealing with abetment and forgery against Life Insurance Corporation agent Anand Chauhan, and former minister's associate Chunni Lal, Joginder Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, Lawan Kumar Roach, Vakamullah Chandrashekhar and Ram Prakash Bhatia.

During the period from May 28, 2009 to June 26, 2012, Virbhadra Singh, as Union Minister of Steel and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, committed criminal misconduct.

The CBI also alleged that co-accused Pratibha Singh intentionally and actively abated Virbhadra Singh in investing his ill-gotten and unaccounted money in her and their children's names, the court observed.

The CBI has accused the senior Congress leader of trying to justify the income as agricultural.

The other accused allegedly tried to legitimise his disproportionate assets by creating false documents in the shape of a Memorandum of Understanding, sale proceeds and others.

Chauhan was instrumental in depositing the unaccounted money in LIC policies, the agency alleged.

--IANS

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