Allahabad, May 20: The Allahabad High Court today directed the Enforcement Directorate to investigate charges of money laundering against Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, saying that the probe should commence within two weeks. The court gave the direction while dismissing a petition filed by the former Samajwadi Party general secretary who had challenged an FIR lodged in Kanpur nearly two years ago accusing him of various financial irregularities when the party was in power in Uttar Pradesh.
A division bench comprising justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and S S Tiwari asked the ED to commence the investigation “within two weeks” and submit a status report before the court within a month of the commencement of the probe. Singh had moved the court challenging an FIR lodged at Babupurwa Police Station in Kanpur on October 15, 2009 by a local resident Shiv Kant Tripathi under various sections of the IPC, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Money Laundering Act.
Tripathi had also moved the court with the prayer that the issue be probed by the ED.
The petitions by Singh and Tripathi were clubbed together and heard by the bench which had reserved its judgement on March 28.
Putting up a brave face after the Allahabad High Court order, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh today said he should be punished if found guilty as he was not above. The expelled Samajwadi Party leader claimed he had himself written to Union Finance Ministry demanding that allegations against him be probed by Enforcement Directorate. “I had also written to the Corporate Affairs Minister saying that I be probed by the Corporate Affairs Ministry,” he told reporters.
Singh said Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has replied to his letter saying that the order of Calcutta High Court will be final in the matter of merger of companies. “And if I have indulged in some scam when I was chairman of UPDC or in PWD or in Power Ministry or had I got some benefit from companies involved in the 2G scam...the UP government should forward the proof to the ED.”
“The Allahabad High Court has done me a favour by referring the matter to ED. At least there will not be a two-pronged inquiry against me...no double-edged sword. I am not above law. I should be punished if I am found guilty,” the former SP leader said.
He said the FIR lodged against him at Babupurwa Police Station in Kanpur on October 15, 2009 by a local resident alleges that he gave contracts worth thousands of crores of rupees during his stint.
“They are probing for 20 months but are yet to get any proof...the ED has also written to UP government several times but they have not given the ED any proof,” he claimed. PTI
