Raipur, 19 April 2024: In a major victory for Aman Singh, who was Principal Secretary to former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh, the trial court in Raipur has accepted the closure report filed by the EOW-ACB as no case of disproportionate assets could be made out against Aman Singh and his wife.
The court’s decision marks the culmination of a prolonged investigative process led by the EOW-ACB which failed to substantiate the allegations of disproportionate assets against Singh and his wife, Dr Yasmin Singh.
The FIR, 09 of 2020, lodged on direct orders from former Congress Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and based on claims by RTI activist Uchit Sharma, had accused the couple of amassing unaccounted wealth.
Despite exhaustive investigations over three years, the FIR failed to hold up as the EOW found no evidence supporting the claims, leading to the filing of a closure report. Significantly, the closure report was filed by the EOW in December last year, before the current BJP government took the oath of office in Chhattisgarh.
Legal circles have closely monitored the proceedings, noting the case’s implications for bureaucratic integrity and legal accountability. Noted criminal lawyer and Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, who represented the Singhs, has openly criticized the motives behind the FIR, describing it as a tool for political retribution rather than justice.
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“Bhupesh Baghel’s government was one of the most corrupt and vindictive regimes this country has ever seen,” said Jethmalani. “They weaponized the FIR to unjustly target Aman Singh, an honest officer, and his wife Yasmin Singh, a renowned artist, forcing them to undergo trials and tribulations for several years. Targeting an officer’s wife was a new low, even by Bhupesh Baghel’s standards. However, justice has finally been served with their discharge by the court.”
Echoing this sentiment, former Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Sunil Kumar, who worked with both Congress and BJP chief ministers, drew attention to the adverse impacts of political victimisation on governance and the morale of public servants.
“It’s tragic that an officer who contributed immensely to Chhattisgarh’s transformative development had to face what turned out to be baseless accusations,” said Kumar. “Officers of integrity being targeted for political considerations is demoralising because not everyone can withstand the personal costs of incorruptibility in public service as Aman has been able to. I am happy for Aman Singh and his wife that truth has prevailed.”
The case has also seen judicial scrutiny at various levels, including a notable moment when the Bilaspur High Court quashed the FIR, citing lack of substantive evidence. However, the Supreme Court later revived the FIR on an appeal by the Congress government of Bhupesh Baghel, saying that a thorough investigation would better serve to maintain public trust and accountability. The apex court said, “We quite appreciate that there could be cases of innocent public servants being entangled in investigations arising out of motivated complaints and the consequent mental agony, emotional pain and social stigma that they would have to encounter in the process, but this small price has to be paid if there is to be a society governed by the rule of law.”
Despite claiming the charges were politically motivated, Aman Singh cooperated fully with the subsequent investigation, which ultimately vindicated him and his wife as no case of disproportionate assets was made out even after a meticulous probe. The trial court’s closure of the case, after hearing all perspectives including the complainant’s agreement with the closure report, brings to an end a high-profile battle that has highlighted the vendetta politics that regime changes often bring.
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