BackPrima facie case appears to be made out against Virbhadra: centre to HC
Prashant Bhushan, representing an NGO, submitted that an undue delay has been caused in registering an FIR despite sufficient material
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New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday told the Delhi high court that a prima facie case of money laundering appeared to be made out against Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
A bench headed by chief justice G. Rohini also asked the income tax department to file before it tax assessment records and other documents of the chief minister within a week.
“In the meantime, we would like to peruse status reports filed by the CBI in the case," the bench, also comprising justice Jayant Nath, said.
Additional solicitor general (ASG) Sanjay Jain, appearing for the Centre, said, “There was enough prima facie material available on record to say that a money laundering case is made out against respondent no. 5 (Virbhadra Singh)."
The ASG was responding to the submissions made by Prashant Bhushan, who is representing NGO Common Cause, that an undue delay has been caused by the agency in registering an FIR despite the fact that there is sufficient material to prosecute the chief minister.
“Only the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) can say about the exact status of the investigation," the ASG said.
The CBI had earlier told the high court that it can probe allegations of corruption and bribery against the Congress leader during his tenure as chief minister of Himachal Pradesh in 2002 after the court issues necessary order.
The agency had placed an affidavit before the court which on 4 April had asked the CBI to expedite the preliminary enquiry into the allegations of corruption and bribery against Singh and to take it to a logical conclusion.
In the affidavit, the CBI had said probe into the allegations against Singh pertaining to grant of Sai Koti Hydel Power Project to Venture Energy and Technology Pvt. Ltd on 14 June, 2002 “would require order of the competent high court having jurisdiction".
Earlier, the court had expressed concern over the delay in probing the matter and had said the CBI cannot take so much time.
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