CBI to quiz Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh’s wife

The CBI is gearing up to question Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife, Pratibha Singh, in connection with a case against Mr Singh for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to known sources of income when he was a Union minister.

Sources said the agency will soon call her to be examined and, if required, other family members of the Himachal Pradesh CM may also be called for clarification. The allegations have already been refuted by Mr Singh.

The CBI is investigating allegations that Mr Singh and his family members amassed Rs 6.1 crore between 2009 and 2011, when he was Union steel minister. The CBI suspects that Mr Singh in that period invested Rs 6.1 crore in life insurance policies in his name and in those of his family members through an agent, claiming this money was agricultural income, and attempted to legitimise this money as agricultural income by filing revised income-tax returns in 2012.

The CBI had registered a “disproportionate assets” (DA) case against Mr Singh and his wife on September 26, 2015. Earlier, the agency had registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against Mr Singh and his family members in this connection. The FIR named Mr Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, LIC agent Anand Chauhan and Chunni Lal Chauhan (his brother) as the accused.

The CBI had questioned Mr Singh in connection with the case on June 9. Sources claimed he failed to offer any explanation when confronted with “evidence” against him. “Now the agency is preparing to question his wife in connection with the case,” sources said.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also probing the case against Mr Singh, recently issued orders for attachment of assets worth about Rs 8 crore that belong to Mr Singh. The ED had issued a provisional attachment order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to seize LIC policies, bank fixed deposits and two storeys of a building in South Delhi’s GK-1 area. Sources in the ED said the assets were considered to be “proceeds of crime” from money laundering and were created by using tainted funds.