ED charge sheet against Himachal ex-CM’s son

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday filed a charge sheet in a Delhi court against Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya in a money laundering case also involving the former Himachal Pradesh chief minister.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar fixed the matter for consideration on July 24, when he will decide on whether to take cognisance of the final report. The charge sheet, filed by special public prosecutors Nitesh Rana and N K Matta, also named managing director of Tarani Infrastructure Vakamulla Chandrasekhar and one Ram Prakash Bhatia as an accused.

Both Chandrasekhar and Bhatia are also an accused in a CBI case related to the matter, along with Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and others.

Besides 83-year-old Singh and his 62-year-old wife, the others named in the ED charge sheet, filed through advocate AR Aditya, are Universal Apple Associate owner Chunni Lal Chauhan, Life Insurance Corporation agent Anand Chauhan and two other co-accused Prem Raj and Lawan Kumar Roach.

Anand Chauhan, arrested on July 9, 2016 by the ED under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, was granted bail on January 2 in the case. In a separate case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in relation to the matter, the former Himachal Pradesh chief minister, his wife and Chauhan were charge sheeted along with others. The couple, who have not been arrested so far in any of the two cases, and the other accused are facing trial. The other accused are Chunni Lal Chauhan, stamp paper vendor Joginder Singh Ghalta, Tarani Infrastructure MD Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, and co-accused Lawan Kumar Roach, Prem Raj and Ram Prakash Bhatia.

THE COUPLE, WHO HAVE NOT BEEN ARRESTED SO FAR IN ANY OF THE TWO CASES, AND THE OTHER ACCUSED ARE FACING TRIAL.