ED Officer Who Summoned Ex-Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Transferred Amid Ongoing Investigation
ED officer who summoned ex-Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and his son transferred from Jalandhar to Chennai.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has transferred its additional director posted at the Jalandhar zonal office, who had issued summons to former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and his son Raninder Singh in a case related to alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Ravi Tewari, a 2009-batch IRS officer, has been moved to Chennai and replaced by Dinesh Pachauri.
The ED had summoned Raninder Singh on Thursday and Amarinder Singh on Friday. However, both did not appear, with Amarinder undergoing knee surgery at a private hospital. The summons follow the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s clearance for the agency to inspect income tax department records, which form the basis of the ongoing probe into alleged undisclosed foreign assets and offshore accounts.
This is not the first instance of ED involvement with the Singhs. Raninder had appeared before the agency twice earlier, in July 2016 and November 2020, regarding alleged movement of funds to Switzerland and the establishment of the Jacaranda Trust. The current summons are connected to similar allegations of tax evasion and non-disclosure of foreign assets.
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Political reactions have been swift. Congress leaders, including Bhupesh Baghel, suggested Amarinder could be welcomed back to the party, while BJP leaders, including Amarinder’s daughter Jai Inder Kaur, dismissed any possibility of his return, reaffirming his allegiance to the saffron party. Congress MLA Pargat Singh criticized the ED’s move, claiming central agencies are being misused for political purposes.
Raninder Singh responded on social media, stating, “As law-abiding citizens, we will cooperate fully with every investigation agency. We have absolute faith in the rule of law and are confident that truth and justice will prevail.” The ED investigation stems from a 2016 complaint alleging tax evasion and concealment of foreign assets by Amarinder and Raninder Singh.
Capt Amarinder Singh had joined the BJP in 2022 after being ousted as Punjab CM by Congress in September 2021. The ongoing probe and recent transfer of the ED officer overseeing the case have sparked speculation and intense media attention, highlighting the political sensitivities surrounding high-profile investigations in India.
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