HP CM Virbhadra Singh gets SC notice in DA case; party colleagues Sibal, Chidambaram represent him

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader Virbhadra Singh today suffered a setback with the Supreme Court issuing him and his wife notices on a petition filed by the CBI challenging the state High Court’s order granting protection against their arrest in a disproportionate assets case pertaining to amassing Rs six crore worth of unaccounted money when he was a union minister.Interestingly, the notices for Singh and his wife were accepted by senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram, who are Singh’s colleagues in the party.CBI also sought transfer of the case to Delhi saying Singh was using his influence in the state being its chief ministerA bench of Justices, FMI Kalifulla and UU Lalit asked the CM and his wife to file reply by November 5, the next date of hearing.Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for CBI, said the HC order restraining the CBI from interrogating the accused has stalled the investigations into the corruption case.Rohatgi said it was an unprecedented decision by the HC as the Prevention of Corruption Act itself mandates that investigation into a corruption case should not be stayed by any court.Seeking custodial interrogation of Singh and his wife in a corruption case, CBI had moved the Supreme Court last Thursday and asked for an urgent hearing of its plea.Challenging the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s order granting protection against possible arrest and other relief to Singh and his wife, CBI has claimed that this order virtually stalled probe into the case.He said that the High Court has not only restrained CBI from arresting the Chief Minister but also embargoed it from filing charge-sheet.The Himachal Pradesh HC had, on October 1, restrained the CBI from arresting Singh and his wife in the DA case.Admitting Singh’s plea, the High Court had also directed the CBI to keep the court informed before interrogating the couple.The Chief Minister had filed a petition in the High Court pleading that the raids on his private residence and other premises were conducted with “malafide intentions and political vendetta” by the investigating agency.Himachal Pradesh HC had on October 1 restrained CBI from arresting Singh and his wife in the DA case but had allowed the enquiry in the matter to proceed.Admitting the petition of Singh against, the high court had also directed CBI to keep the court informed before interrogating the couple. The chief minister had filed a petition in the high court pleading that the raids on his private residence and other premises were conducted with “malafide intentions and political vendetta” by the central investigating agency.

HP CM Virbhadra Singh gets SC notice in DA case; party colleagues Sibal, Chidambaram represent him

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