Within hours after Himachal Pradesh High Court dismissed the Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh's petition seeking transfer of a graft case against him to CBI, the state Anti-corruption and Vigilance Bureau filed the chargesheet against him and his wife Pratibha Singh.
ASP Vimukta Rajan presented the chargesheet in the court of Special judge BL Soni who fixed the hearing for October 4.
The Bureau filed the challan under Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120B (cheating) of IPC.
Virbhadra Singh had said that after Prem Kumar Dhumal became chief minister of Himachal in December 2007, the government registered a case against him and his wife on August 3, 2008, under Prevention of Corruption Act on the basis of an audio CD released by his political adversary Vijay Singh Mankotia in May 2007.
According to police, Virbhadra Singh was heard allegedly referring to some monetary transactions on phone with late IAS officer Mahinder Lal.
The CD also allegedly contained the voices of his wife and some industrialists.
Meanwhile, the Union Minister in a statement said the HC has made a very important observation that the "trial court will not take cognizance in a mechanical way of the material collected by the investigating agency under Cr.P.C. and the matter so collected will be judicially scrutinised and analysed before taking cognizance."
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the Union Minister in a statement said the HC has made a very important observation that the "trial court will not take cognizance in a mechanical way of the material collected by the investigating agency under Cr.P.C. and the matter so collected will be judicially scrutinised and analysed before taking cognizance."
{{/usCountry}}"This is very important and options are open for me to move any court from trial court to Supreme Court after the copy of challan is received", he added.