Himachal HC reserves order on plea against CM's acquittal

The Himachal Pradesh High Court Monday reserved its judgment on a plea that has challenged the acquittal of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh in a corruption case.

After hearing arguments for condoning the delay of 96 days in filing an appeal and challenging their acquittal, Justice D.C. Chaudhary reserved the order.

S.M. Katwal, former chairman of the HP Subordinate Services Selection Board, filed an appeal in the high court challenging a Shimla trial court order of Dec 24, 2012, in a corruption case involving an audio CD allegedly containing the conversation of Virbhadra Singh and his wife with IAS officer Mohinder Lal (who is now dead) for obtaining pecuniary advantages from two companies.

The petition said the state government did not file an appeal against the orders as it was headed by Virbhadra Singh himself, who was an accused in the case.

Katwal said he was the de-facto complainant in the case as he first filed a petition in the high court, seeking directions for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case. And he was the whistle-blower who initiated the legal proceedings, culminating in the registration of the criminal case against Virbhadra Singh and his wife.

Police booked Virbhadra Singh and Pratibha Singh, then sitting MP from Mandi, Aug 3, 2009, under the Prevention of Corruption Act for alleged misuse of official position and criminal misconduct when he was the chief minister in 1989.

In 2009, the Bharatiya Janata Party government was in power in the state.

Less than 24 hours before his swearing-in as the chief minister for the sixth time, Congress leader Virbhadra Singh was acquitted in the case in December 2012.