A day after Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh skipped his plan to depose before Enforcment Directorate (ED), the agency on Thursday issued fresh summons, seeking his personal appearance on April 20.
Sources said counsel for Virbhadra Singh appeared before the ED on Thursday and sought exemption on his behalf citing personal engagements for being absent. The Investigating Officer is said to have accepted his plea for non-appearance on Thursday and issued fresh summons for April 20. Pleading for Virbhadra Singh before the ED, his counsel submitted a written statement that Virbhadra Singh was busy in a religious ceremony on April 12, when he was supposed to come to Delhi for personal appearance before the ED on the next day.
Changing his plan to appear before the ED on the eleventh hour, Singh had left for Bhimakali Temple near Rampur with his family and offered prayers there on Wednesday. Earlier, he had confirmed that he would be appearing before ED on April 13.
The sudden deferment of the plans of Singh to visit ED headquarters had surprised many, as he has constantly terming the ED and CBI action as politically motivated. Claiming innocence, he had recently said that he was expert in facing such allegations, and the action was being taken against him keeping the next assembly elections in consideration.
With fresh issuance of summons, Virbhadra’s meeting with the ED officials had been fixed once again and it is just a week away now. ED has sought his presence in the case registered against him under Prevention of Money laundering Act.