ED raids on RB Educational Trust: Eight premises situated at different locations in J&K raided in Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)

The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday conducted 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 regularities in land purchase to set up the trust, official sources said. The federal agency raided about eight premises in Jammu, Kathua and Punjab’s Pathankot in the case against RB Educational Trust, its chairperson and Lal Singh’s wife Kanta Andotra, as well as Ravinder Singh, a former revenue official (Patwari)

A chargesheet was also filed by the CBI in the case on October 28, 2021. The chargesheet established offences committed by one Kanta Andotra, the chairperson of RB Educational Trust, and Ravinder Singh, then Patwari of Patwar Halqa Karandi Khurd and Muthi Hardo in 2011, who in criminal connivance issued three fards of more than 329 kanals of land during January 4, 2011, to January 7, 2011, without mentioning details in respect of violation of ceiling limit of 100 standard kanals imposed under Section 14 of the Jammu and Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act 1976 thereby giving undue pecuniary advantage to trust.

Based on this, the trust acquired multiple pieces of land of about 329 Kanals vide three gift deeds executed on January 5 and January 7,2011, the CBI charge sheet claimed The sources said the ED has found that access land is being actively used by the trust for running DPS Schools and other commercial activities The premises being covered in Tuesday’s search include those related to the trust, chairperson, land donors, power of attorney holders & other stake holders in this case.

On ED raid at former J&K Minister and Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party Chairman Choudhary Lal Singh, DSS Party vice president Jatinder Singh says, “First, CBI did the investigation for about a year, now after CBI they sent ED. If there is someone above ED…it is our Dogra leader…They didn’t find any proof against him. This government can’t digest the popularity of someone who has become the voice of the Dogra community,”