Virbhadra graft case: Court reserves order

January 5th, 2012 - 8:16 pm ICT by IANS  

Shimla, Jan 5 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh High Court Thursday reserved its orders on the petition of union minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife seeking quashing of a corruption case filed against them.

The two also petitioned for a stay on the trial court proceedings in the case or to transfer the investigation into the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as they said they have no faith in the state investigating agency.

A division bench of Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice V.K. Ahuja reserved their orders after hearing the arguments.

The Congress leader and his wife Pratibha Singh, a former MP, were booked by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau Aug 3, 2009.

Singh, five-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, is accused of misusing his official position in 1989.

The couple was booked on the basis of an audio CD released by his political adversary Vijai Singh Mankotia in 2007.

In the CD, Singh was purportedly heard referring to some alleged monetary transactions while talking on phone with Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Mahinder Lal, who has since died.

The CD also contained what were alleged to be the voices of Pratibha Singh and some industrialists.

Two witnesses in the case have moved the high court, saying that their statements recorded by the prosecution were false and forged.

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