In a major embarrassment for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, six months before the assembly polls in the state, a special CBI court on Monday took cognizance of the charges framed against him by CBI in a case of corruption and amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income.
Taking up the matter, Special Judge, Virender Kumar Goyal fixed May 22 as the next date of heaing in the case when Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is also expected to attend hearing with the other 8 accused.
The CBI Court has taken cognizance of offences punishable under various sections against Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and Anand Chauhan, Chunni lal Chauhan, Joginder Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, lawan Kumar Roach, Vakamulla Chandrashekhar and Ram Prakash Bhatia.
CBI had filed case against Virbhadra Singh and others Singh has sought directions from the under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 109 of IPC on September 23, 2015. The premier agency in its charge-sheet had accused Virbhadra Singh of amassing assets worth Rs 10 crore, disproportionate by 192 percent to his total income during his tenure as a Union Minister.
The premier investigating agency in its charge-sheet has said that during the period from 28.05.20009 to 26.06.2012 Virbhadra Singh, while posted and functioning as Minister of Steel and Minister of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India, New Delhi and as such a Public Servant, committed criminal misconduct in as much as that as on 26.06.2012, he has been found in possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs.103047946.40 in his own name as well as in the names of his family members namely, Pratibha Singh (his wife), Kumari Aprajita (his daughter) and Vikramadtiya Singh (his son) for which he cannot satisfactorily account for the pecuniary resources or property, which are disproportionate to his known sources of income.
It said the offence was abated by Pratibha Singh, Anand Chauhan, Chunni lal Chauhan, Joginder Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, lawan Kumar Roach, Vakamulla Chandrashekhar and Ram Prakash Bhatia and false documents in the shape of Memorandum of Understanding, sale proceeds and documents submitted by accused V. Chandrashekhar before the Income Tax authorities during 2014 in respect of firm of accused Ram Prakash Bhatia, were created and used to legitimize the disproportionate assets of Virbhadra Singh. The disproportion is to the extent of 192% to his known source of income.