SC transfers Virbhadra Singh case from Himachal Pradesh to Delhi court
The bench said it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the state's high court, but simply shifting the petition in ‘the interest of justice’.
The Supreme Court on Thursday transferred a plea filed by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife in a disproportionate assets case to the Delhi High Court. The case was being heard by the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which had earlier barred the Central Bureau of Investigation from arresting Singh. The Supreme Court bench said this order would still stand.
Singh's lawyer Kapil Sibal had opposed the court's decision to transfer the case, saying it would imply that the state high court was not fit to hear it. However, the apex court's bench rejected this petition.
On September 26, the CBI had raided Singh's house after filing an FIR against him. Singh had approached the high court, seeking protection from arrest, which approved. The CBI then moved the high court against this decision and also alleged that the judge presiding over Singh's case had been his lawyer in a previous case well. Subsequently, the Supreme Court issued a notice to Singh and his wife asking for his response, and then decided to transfer the case.