Ex-J&K minister Lal Singh, wife ‘connived’ with govt officials to retain land for their educational trust: ED

New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) Former Jammu and Kashmir minister Lal Singh and his wife entered into a “criminal conspiracy” with government officials to illegally retain land in favour of their educational trust, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed on Wednesday.

Searches were also conducted in eight locations in Jammu and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir and Pathankot in Punjab on Tuesday as part of a money laundering probe against RB Educational Trust, its owners and government officials, the federal agency said.

Property documents and digital devices were seized in the searches, the ED said in a statement.

The money laundering case stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR and chargesheet.

The trust’s office in Karandi Khurd village in Kathua district, Singh and his wife’s residences in Kathua district, and residential premises of former Kathua deputy commissioner Ajay Singh, some revenue department officials and other accused were among those searched, according to the agency.

“Residential premises of land donors and other middlemen whose names had surfaced during the course of the investigation were also searched,” it said.

Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP) chairperson Lal Singh’s wife Kanta Andotra is the chairperson of the educational trust. Lal Singh is also a two-time MP.

The probe found that RB Educational Trust through its chairperson, her husband and other trustees in connivance with Ravinder Singh (the then patwari), Gaurav Sharma (the then naib tehsildar) and Subhash Chander (the then tehsildar) entered into criminal conspiracy during 2011 for wrongful issuance of “fards” to retain lands to the extent of more than 328 kanals in favour of the trust, beyond the permissible limit of 100 standard kanals, the ED claimed.

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 chargesheet had claimed.

The ED suspects that the excess land is being actively used by the trust for running DPS schools and other commercial activities.

The agency said that “incriminating” documents in the form of property documents, power of attorneys, hard disk, digital devices, digital evidence and loose papers were seized during the searches.

As news about the ED’s search at Singh’s residence in Kathua broke out, scores of DSSP workers gathered outside his house and held a protest.

“It is a condemnable and shameful act. This is to suppress Lal Singh’s voice. First, they used CBI and now they are using ED against him. It is an assault on Dogras by the Union Territory (Jammu and Kashmir) administration and the BJP,” a DSSP leader had told reporters on Tuesday.

The protesters said the party will never succumb to the BJP and will fight against it.

The BJP also reacted to the searches and said corrupt individuals will face consequences.