DA case: Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh, wife summoned as accused by special court

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. (File Photo)

Taking cognisance of the CBI charge sheet against Virbhadra Singh, a special court on Monday summoned him as accused in the disproportionate assets case in which the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister is alleged to have amassed assets worth around Rs 10 crore. Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh was also summoned as accused by the court. The court directed both of them to appear on May 22 before Special Judge Virender Kumar Goyal.

The final report in the case assembled nearly 225 witnesses and 442 documents. The report was filed against Virbhadra Singh and eight other persons for offences punishable under sections 109 (abetment) and 465 (punishment for forgery) of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Apart from the 82-year-old Congress leader and his wife, six others who were asked to appear as accused include Chunni Lal Chauhan, Joginder Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, Lawan Kumar Roach and Ram Prakash Bhatia.

On November 5 last year, the Supreme Court had transferred Singh’s plea from the Himachal Pradesh High Court to the Delhi High Court, saying it was “not expressing any opinion on the merits of the case”. The apex court also added that it “simply” transferred the petition “in interest of justice and to save the judiciary from any embarrassment”.