Raipur. After no case of disproportionate assets was made out against Aman Singh, who was the principal secretary of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, a lower court in Raipur has accepted the closure report filed by the EOW-ACB. The court, in an order dated April 16, accepted the closure report filed by the state EOW-ACB. In which it was found that no case of disproportionate assets could be made against Aman Singh and his wife Yasmin Singh.
The FIR was lodged based on the claim of an RTI activist when the previous Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was in power in the state. But even after three years, EOW-ACB failed to prove the charges of disproportionate assets against Aman Singh and his wife. The closure report was filed by the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of the state government in December last year, before the current BJP government came to power. The trial court has now accepted the closure report and canceled the FIR.
Aman Singh, a former Indian Revenue Service officer, was the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister in the Raman Singh-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh. He resigned from the service and joined the Adani Group in November 2022. In February 2020, EOW of Chhattisgarh filed an FIR against Aman Singh and his wife Yasmin in the case of alleged disproportionate assets. Bilaspur High Court had canceled the FIR two years ago. But the Supreme Court quashed the order in March 2023 and said that it is desirable that the High Court does not quash the FIR of a corruption case at the investigation stage, even if there is a suspicion that the new government has filed a case against the officers of the previous government. And now the trial court has accepted the closure report filed by the EOW and has canceled the FIR. Noted criminal lawyer and senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, who represents the Singh family, said the FIR under the then Bhupesh Baghel government was used to “wrongfully target an honest officer Aman Singh and his wife Yasmin Singh, a renowned artist Had gone, due to which he had to face punishment.” Many years of trials and tribulations”. However, he said, justice was finally served with his acquittal by the court.
Expressing the same sentiment is former Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh Sunil Kumar, who worked with both Congress and BJP Chief Ministers. He talked about the adverse effects of political persecution on governance and the morale of civil servants.
He said targeting of honest officials for political views is discouraging as not everyone can withstand the personal cost of honesty in public service. Despite claiming that the charges were politically motivated, Aman Singh cooperated fully in the subsequent investigation, which ultimately led to his and his wife’s conviction as no case of disproportionate assets was made out.