PMLA CASE: ED ARRESTS EX-JAMMU AND KASHMIR MINISTER LAL SINGH

Former Jammu and Kashmir minister Lal Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday.

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This occurred shortly after an anti-corruption court dismissed his anticipatory bail application related to a money laundering case.

The federal agency had been investigating Lal Singh in connection with a case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case focused on an educational trust operated by his wife, former legislator Kanta Andotra.

Choudhary Lal Singh, who chairs the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP), was apprehended in the evening from a residence in the Chawadi area of Sainik Colony on the outskirts of the city (Jammu). Reportedly, the former minister made efforts to elude arrest.

Upon learning of Singh's arrest, a group of his supporters, led by Andotra, gathered outside the ED office in Narwal. They attempted to enter but were stopped by CRPF personnel. Andotra pleaded for permission to meet her husband. To maintain law and order, additional police reinforcements were dispatched to the scene.

Lal Singh, a two-time MP and three-time MLA, switched from the Congress to the BJP in 2014 and served as a minister in the previous PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir. This coalition government fell apart in June 2018 when the national party withdrew its support.