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ED gets 7-day remand of ex-J&K minister Lal Singh
Singh, the chairperson of chairman of the Dogra Swabhimaan Sangthan, was arrested late on Tuesday from Chowadhi area by ED sleuths, hours after the special court had dismissed his anticipatory bail application
Special judge of an anti-corruption court (CBI cases) sent former minister and Choudhary Lal Singh on seven-day remand of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case against an educational trust run by his wife, Kanta Andotra.
Singh, the chairperson of chairman of the Dogra Swabhimaan Sangthan, was arrested late on Tuesday from Chowadhi area by ED sleuths, hours after the special court had dismissed his anticipatory bail application.
The money laundering case is against RB educational trust, run by former legislator Andotra. Special public prosecutor Ashwani Khajuria said confirmed the development.
The ED had, however, sought 14-day custody to question the accused.
Advocate Rajesh Kotwal, appearing for Singh, had objected to the remand citing the minister’s ill-health and scheduled offences as alleged against the former minister, which he said, “cannot be applied against him retrospectively”. Kotwal placed Singh’s medical records on record.
Justice Bala Jyoti observed, “since the accused was arrested on Tuesday and investigation is at the initial stage, and accused is involved in a serious and non-bailable offence, he is remanded to ED custody till November 14.”
She took note of the complaint of physical discomfort made by the accused and directed for his proper medical checkup. She directed the authorities for regular medical examination according to the rules.
The judge ordered that the accused be produced before the court after the expiry of remand period. Earlier during the day, Singh was taken to government medical college and hospital in Jammu after he complained of uneasiness.
Around 3pm, he was taken to the special court at Janipur amid tight security arrangements.
Not given proper treatment: Singh
Singh alleged that though he was taken to the hospital, it was an eye-wash as he was not given any treatment.
“I was present in the emergency ward but was denied proper medical treatment. Several required tests were not done. They (ED officials) compelled the doctors to say that it is me who refused to take a CT scan,” he told reporters while being escorted to the court.
Dozens of the minister’s supporters had gathered outside the hospital and chanted slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The protesters alleged that their leader was being implicated in a baseless case ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. Singh, a two-time MP and three-time MLA, switched from the Congress to the BJP in 2014.
He was a minister in the last Peoples Democratic Party-BJP combine, which collapsed in June 2018 after the latter pulled out citing worsening security scenario in the region.
Choudhary Lal Singh had resigned from the BJP after an outcry over his presence in a rally in support of the accused in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old nomadic girl in Kathua’s Rasana in January 2018.
On Tuesday, the court had granted interim anticipatory bail to Andotra and daughter Kranti Singh till November 30, directing them to cooperate with the ED without any fail.
In October, the ED had conducted searches in Jammu and its adjoining areas as part of a money laundering probe against the educational trust and Ravinder S, a former revenue official and chairperson of the trust, in connection with alleged irregularities in land purchase to set up the trust.
ED had raided about eight premises in Jammu, Kathua and Punjab’s Pathankot on October 17.
The money laundering case stems from an October 2021 chargesheet filed by the CBI which alleged criminal connivance in the issuance of land between January 4 and January 7, 2011, without mentioning details in respect of violation of the ceiling limit of 100 standard kanals imposed under Section 14 of the Jammu and Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976, thereby giving undue pecuniary advantage to trust.
Based on this, the trust acquired vast chunks of land of about 329 kanals (16.64 hectares) vide three gift deeds executed on January 5 and January 7, 2011, the CBI chargesheet claimed.
