ED raids former J&K ex-minister Choudhary Lal Singh’s home in money laundering case

In Jammu and Kashmir, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids and searches in Jammu and adjoining areas as part of a money laundering probe against an educational trust run by ex-minister Lal Singh’s wife and a former government official in connection with alleged irregularities in land purchase to set up the trust. 

The federal agency raided about eight premises in Jammu, Kathua and Pathankot in the case against the trust, its chairperson and Lal Singh’s wife Kanta Andotra, as well as Ravinder Singh, a former revenue official. The money laundering case stems from an October 2021



charge sheet filed by the CBI.

There was allegation of criminal connivance in the issuance of land between January 4 and January 7, 2011, without mentioning details of the ceiling limit imposed under J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976. The trust acquired multiple pieces of land of about 329 Kanals via three gift deeds executed on January 5 and January 7, 2011 in violation of the ceiling limit of 100 standard kanals. The ED found that excess land was being actively used by the trust for running DPS Schools and other commercial activities.