HC stays SIT probe against principal secy of former C'garh CM

The Chhattisgarh High Court Wednesday stayed a probe by the state government-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) against a former principal secretary to the chief minister in the erstwhile BJP government.

The newly-formed Congress government in the state had recently set up a four-member SIT to probe allegations against Aman Singh, former Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister Raman Singh.

"Aman Singh had filed an application for interim relief in the high court citing that without lodging an FIR, the SIT cannot be constituted," his lawyer Kishore Bhaduri said.

After hearing the arguments on Wednesday, Justice Prashant Mishra stayed the probe by the SIT till further order and sought a reply from the state government by February 27, he said.

Last week, the Chhattisgarh government had ordered the state's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to form an SIT to probe the allegations against Singh.

The probe was ordered based on a complaint to the PMO by Vijay Mishra, he said.

As per the complaint, Singh, formerly an IRS officer, had allegedly concealed that there was a probe conducted against him during his tenure as an IRS officer, while joining then Raman Singh government on contractual appointment, he said.