Former J&K minister Lal Singh granted regular bail in money laundering case

Jammu, Dec 23 (PTI) A special court here on Saturday granted regular bail to former minister Lal Singh, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

Singh, the chairman of the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP), was granted an interim bail by the court on November 23 after his arrest from a house in Jammu on November 7.

Singh is under investigation by the federal agency in connection with the case against an educational trust run by his wife and former legislator Kanta Andotra.

“…since petitioner has complied with the conditions of the bail, so no further proceedings are required in the present application.

“Therefore, interim bail granted to the petitioner is made absolute, of course all conditions drawn shall remain alive pending proceedings, if any, by way of complaint by the ED,” principal sessions judge Sanjay Parihar said in a three-page order.

The money laundering case stems from an October 2021 charge sheet filed by the CBI in this case 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 multiple pieces of land of about 329 kanals vide three gift deeds executed on January 5 and January 7, 2011, the CBI charge sheet claimed.