New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), today morning, raided nine locations including the former Jammu & Kashmir minister, Chaudhary Lal Singh’s residential premises in a land grabbing and corruption case.
CBI sources said here that the Agency’s sleuths raided Lal Singh’s residential premises at Kathua, besides on the premises of other accused also. The search operation was launched at six places in Kathua and three in Jammu. The two teams of CBI sleuths reached ward number 2 of Kathua town and Rajbagh at around 7 am to launch the searches.
The CBI has registered a case under different sections of the Indian Panel Code and J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, against RB Educational Trust, Mrs. Kanta, the Chairperson and wife of former BJP MP Chaudhary Lal Singh, Ajay Singh Jamwal, the then DC Kathua (J&K), Avtar Singh, the then Tehsildar (Marheen), Desh Raj, the then Naib Tehsildar, Ramphal, the then Girdawar, Sudesh Kumar, the then Patwari and unknown persons on the allegations of having facilitated the trust in possessing land much beyond the ceiling limit and submission of false affidavit in support of the trust, causing loss to the State exchequer.
“Searches at 9 locations (3 in Jammu & 6 at Kathua) including at RB Education Trust, the residence of its Chairperson & other accused is underway,” the CBI official said adding that further details will follow.
CBI, on June 25, had registered a Preliminary Enquiry to probe into the allegations of land grabbing and corruption by RB Education Trust run by Lal Singh. He had quit BJP in 2018 and founded Dogra Swabhiman Sangthan (DSS). He was also a minister during the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir.
The PE by the CBI has alleged that the trust, a beneficiary of such alleged illegal acts, continues to have huge tracts of land in gross violation of the ceiling prescribed under the JK Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976.
