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SIT records Kripashankar Singh's statement in assets case

October 15, 2012 17:31 IST

The Special Investigating Team, probing the alleged amassing of disproportionate assets by former Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh and his family, on Monday recorded his statement.

Singh arrived at the police commissionerate around noon alone and SIT recorded his statement at least for an hour, an IPS officer told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Various questions relating to his properties were asked by the SIT officials and Singh answered them, the officer said, adding he was "very cooperative". He, however, declined to reveal the questions posed to Singh citing confidentiality.

Asked if he would be called again, the officer replied in the negative and added Singh's family members might be called for recording statements.

The Supreme Court had in September granted eight weeks time to the SIT to complete its probe into the alleged amassing of wealth disproportionate to the known sources of income of Singh. The court had asked Mumbai Police

Commissioner Satyapal Singh to head the team replacing Arup Patnaik who was elevated to the rank of the director general of police.

The Maharashtra government has already submitted to the Supreme Court two reports on the SIT probe in sealed covers about the alleged benami assets of Singh and his family.

The first report was filed on April 16 in compliance with the March 13 order of the Supreme Court, which had asked the SIT to probe and collect documentary evidence regarding all movable and immovable properties of Singh and his family, including his wife, son, daughter-in-law and daughter and file its report in a sealed cover.

The apex court had earlier refused to stay the probe but put an interim stay on attaching and seizing the properties of Singh and his family. It had also restrained the politician and his family members from "alienating, transferring or dealing with properties" enumerated in the petition against them during the pendency of the case and directed them to file an affidavit giving an undertaking for the same.

The apex court had passed its order on petitions filed by Singh and his family members seeking a stay on the Bombay high court order of February 22 directing the then city police commissioner to prosecute them for "criminal misconduct" under Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Bombay high court had also directed the police to attach the immovable properties of the Congress MLA. Challenging the high court's order, Singh and his family members had contended in their pleas that the order was passed on a petition, which was politically motivated.

The high court had in its order also said if required the Mumbai police commissioner can approach the competent authority to seek sanction to prosecute Singh.

The high court had passed the order on a public interest litigation filed by activist Sanjay Tiwari who had accused the Congress MLA of amassing wealth far exceeding his known sources of income.

The court, while keeping the PIL pending, had ordered the commissioner of police to file a compliance report on April 19.

Tiwari has alleged in the petition that Singh had been close to former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, currently in jail for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore rupees hawala scam. He alleged several monetary transactions had taken place between them.

Singh's son Narendra Mohan is married to Ankita, daughter of Kamlesh Singh, who was a minister in Koda cabinet, and is now in jail in connection with a hawala scam.

Ankita had received Rs 1.75 crore in her account from Kamlesh, the PIL alleged, adding there were huge transactions from the bank accounts of Singh's wife Malti Devi too.