The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches on Tuesday in Jammu and its surrounding areas as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation involving an educational trust. This trust is associated with former minister Lal Singh’s wife and a former government official, and it’s linked to alleged irregularities in the purchase of land for the trust’s establishment. According to officials, the Jammu ED office executed search operations at eight different locations in Jammu, Kathua, and Pathankot, related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case concerning the RB Educational Trust.
The case was initiated based on an FIR (First Information Report) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with FIR No. RC0042020A0005 dated 12.09.2020. An official stated, “The law enforcement agency filed a chargesheet on 28.10.2021, which established offenses committed under section 120-B of RPC and section 5(1)(d) read with 5(2) of the J&K PC Act Samvat 2006 by Smt. Kanta Andotra (Chairperson RBET) and Sh. Ravinder Singh (then Patwari of Patwar Halqa Karandi Khurd & Muthi Hardo in 2011). They acted in criminal connivance by issuing three fards for more than 329 Kanals of land between 04.01.2011 and 07.01.2011 without disclosing details, thus violating the ceiling limit of 100 standard kanals imposed under Section 14 of the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act 1976 and conferring undue pecuniary advantage to the trust.”
Using these three fards, the trust acquired approximately 329 Kanals of land through three gift deeds executed on 05.01.2011 and 07.01.2011, as per the official’s statement.
The primary suspects in this case include former MP and MLA Ch. Lal Singh, his wife Kanta Andotra (who is also a former MLA and the Chairperson of the trust), and the then Patwari. The official alleged, “During the investigation by the Directorate, it was discovered that the excess land is actively being used by the trust for operating DPS Schools and engaging in other commercial activities.”
“The premises covered in today’s search encompass those associated with the trust, its Chairperson, the land donors, Power of Attorney (POA) holders acting on behalf of the land donors, witnesses who executed the deeds, and the former Patwari who wrongly issued the fards allowing RBET to execute those deeds.”
The search operation in this case is ongoing.