HP court acquits Virbhadra Singh
Himachal Pradesh Congress president Virbhadra Singh, who is to be sworn in as chief minister for record sixth time, has been acquitted by the court of special judge B.L. Soni in Shimla on Monday in a CD case alleging monetary transactions.
The decision has come has pleasant surprise for Mr Virbadhra Singh, who is going to take oath as the chief minister of the state at historic Ridge maidan on Tuesday morning.
It is worth mentioning that the prosecution had filed a chargesheet before the trial court in October 2010, the special judge had framed charges in the case on June 25, 2012.
Prosecution had claimed that recordings on the cassette are allegedly said to contain phone conversations of Virbhadra and his wife, talking to a bureaucrat about illegal money dealing with some industrialists during the late 1989 and early 1990 period. After having completed the investigation in the case, the prosecution filed the chargesheet before the trial court in October, 2010.
Framing of charges against him in the CD case had forced Virbhadra Singh to resign from Union ministry. But now he has been acquitted of all the charges by the court. Virbhadra Singh, alongwith his supporters, was present in the court when the judgement was delivered.
The case was weakened after two high profile prosecution witnesses on November 17 had denied in the court that they had made any testimony before the investigation agency about having bribed their way to obtain clearances for industrial projects.
The prime witness, Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, who was earlier responsible for realising the CD to the media, had partially turned hostile when he raised doubts about the authenticity of the voice in the two decade old recorded telephone conversation.
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