Chhattisgarh court quashes FIR against aide of former CM Raman Singh in disproportionate assets case

A trial court in Raipur recently quashed a disproportionate assets case against Aman Singh, the Principal Secretary to former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, and his wife Yasmin Singh..The Court approved the closure report submitted by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) and the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), after the agencies found no evidence of disproportionate assets against Singh and his wife.Special Judge Nidhi Sharma Tiwari observed that the complaint against Singh was fabricated and without any evidence.It was noted that the percentage of disproportionate assets was found to be 1.06%, which, if found to be less than 10%, would not have led to prosecution against the accused..In October 2019, during the tenure of Raman Singh's rival and then Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Right to Information (RTI) activist Utchiya Sharma had filed a written complaint against Aman Singh. The complaint alleged that Aman Singh had acquired numerous properties through corrupt means, and therefore an investigation was requested into the matter. On receiving the complaint, approval for investigation was given by the Chhattisgarh government and a first information report (FIR) was eventually lodged..The prosecution contended that based on the investigation under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13(1)(B) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, no actionable offence was found against the couple.The Court noted that a letter by the Superintendent of Police, ACB dated December 4, 2023 ordered the closure of the case based on the recommendation of the legal officer of the Bureau after reviewing the investigation report, as no evidence warranting prosecution was found.Based on the letter, a decision was made at the Bureau level to close the disproportionate assets case..Taking this into consideration, the Court allowed the closure report and quashed the FIR against Singh and his wife..[Read Order]