Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh moves court, seeks FIR copy in disproportionate assets case

NEW DELHI: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today moved a court here seeking directions to CBI to supply copy of FIR lodged against him and others in an alleged disproportionate assets case, two days after the agency conducted searches at his Delhi and Shimla residence.

His counsel Vijay Aggarwal filed an application in this regard before Special CBI Judge S C Rajan.

In the application, Singh has also sought the court's permission to inspect the judicial record of the case lodged against him.

"The applicant, Virbhadra Singh, by way of present application, humbly prays that this court may kindly be pleased to pass necessary orders and directions whereby directing the CBI for immediate supply of copy of FIR dated September 23, 2015 registered by CBI against the applicant/ accused," it said.

The application also said that CBI has registered an FIR in the case and has obtained warrants from court to conduct searches in the matter.

"It is further prayed before this court that the applicant/accused may kindly be granted permission to inspect the judicial records," the application said.

CBI had registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE), which was recently converted into a regular case, against Singh and his family members for allegedly amassing wealth of Rs 6.1 crore disproportionate to their known sources of income during 2009-11 while serving as Union Minister of Steel in the UPA government.

The agency had filed the FIR in a designated court here under Prevention of Corruption Act, naming Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, LIC agent Anand Chauhan and Chunni Lal Chauhan.

CBI has claimed that during this period, Singh, a six-time Chief Minister, invested Rs 6.1 crore in life insurance policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan.

In an unprecedented action on a serving Chief Minister, CBI had on September 26 searched the official residence of 81-year-old Singh and 10 other places in connection with the case.

Searches were also carried out at his official residence in Delhi, his two houses in Shimla and Rampur and a farm house in Mehrauli in South Delhi which is in the name of his son Vikramaditya Singh.