Shimla, October 18
The Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, is learnt to have granted the mandatory sanction to prosecute Mr Virbhadra Singh, Leader of the Legislature Congress Party, in a case registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the alleged irregularities in the allotment of khair wood quota to a private “katha” manufacturing unit just before demitting office in March 1998.
According to reliable sources, the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha has also given the nod, clearing the decks for putting up challan in court.
The Vigilance Department had registered a case against Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mr O.P. Yadav, a former Chief Secretary, and a junior officer in the secretariat about three years ago. Investigations were completed some time ago and the case was sent to the Governor for granting prosecution sanction.
Mr Virbhadra Singh has been charged with allotting 25 per cent quota of khair wood to an “udyog” at Kala Amb without taking the proposal to the Cabinet. Initially, the case was to be put up before the Cabinet but when the Congress lost elections on March 6 the matter was decided at the level of the Chief Minister. Some overwritings in the notings made in the file were also detected during investigations.
Mr Virbhadra Singh had all along maintained that the case was politically motivated and aimed at maligning his image. He said the previous BJP government had also made a similar allotment and that the Vigilance Department had earlier come to the conclusion that no case was made out against him.
