No need for HP’s nod to book CM: CBI to HC

R Sedhuraman

New Delhi, December 6

The CBI today pleaded in the Delhi High Court that it did not require the Himachal Pradesh Government’s consent to investigate the disproportionate assets (DA) case against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Virbhadra Singh had accumulated the DA amounting to about Rs 6 crore during 2009-11 when he was a Union Minister in Delhi, where the CBI had jurisdiction to book the case, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) PS Patwalia argued before Justice Vipin Sanghi.

Patwalia rejected Virbhadra Singh’s contention that since the DA case was in Himachal Pradesh the investigation agency was supposed to have taken the state government’s permission for conducting the probe. The place of the assets was immaterial. If it really mattered, no prosecution could be launched against those who took their ill-gotten wealth out of the country, the ASG pleaded.

He also questioned the logic behind Singh’s contention that the CBI had no right to register a fresh case after closing the first preliminary enquiry for lack of evidence. The agency was duty bound to conduct further investigation in the light of fresh evidence in the form of LIC policies purchased in the name of Singh and his family members, the ASG argued.

He rejected Singh’s plea for copies of investigation or status reports as these had no relevance once the chargesheet was ready in the case.

The CBI is seeking Delhi HC’s nod for filing the chargesheet as the Himachal HC had restrained the agency from taking such a step without the HC approval. The agency had gone to the Supreme Court, challenging the HP HC’s ruling, but the SC transferred the case to Delhi HC without modifying or quashing the Himachal HC’s order passed on Singh’s plea.