ED Summons Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and Son in Foreign Assets Probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and his son Raninder Singh for questioning in a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violation case, officials confirmed on Wednesday. The father-son duo faces allegations of being beneficiaries of undisclosed foreign assets, including a Swiss bank account, based on findings from the Income Tax department dating back to 2016.
Summons Details and Health Concerns
Amarinder Singh has been directed to appear before the ED at its Jalandhar office on Thursday, while Raninder Singh is scheduled to depose the following day. However, Amarinder, an 83-year-old senior BJP leader, is unlikely to attend as he remains admitted to a private hospital in Mohali. He underwent a knee replacement surgery on Tuesday and was subsequently moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for monitoring. The ED is expected to grant him a fresh date to record his statement under FEMA provisions.
In response to the summons, Raninder Singh stated on social media platform X, "As law-abiding citizens, we will cooperate fully with every investigation agency. We have absolute faith in the rule of law and are confident that truth and justice will prevail."
Background of the Case
The case originated in 2016 when Amarinder Singh was a member of the Congress party. The Income Tax department received credible information from foreign authorities indicating that the accused were beneficiaries of foreign assets controlled through entities such as bank accounts with HSBC Private Bank in Geneva, Switzerland. A complaint filed in a Ludhiana court on November 18, 2016, detailed data received from the Foreign Tax and Tax Research division, sourced from France, Dubai, Switzerland, and the British Virgin Islands starting in 2011.
Investigative Findings and Legal Proceedings
Investigations traced the HSBC account to entities incorporated by Raninder Singh, including Jacaranda Trust and Mulwala Holding Limited, where Amarinder Singh was also identified as a beneficiary holder. Additionally, Amarinder was alleged to benefit from foreign bank accounts maintained by HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA in Geneva and HSBC Financial Services (Middle East) Limited in Dubai.
In 2016, the Income Tax department filed a prosecution complaint against the father-son duo in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ludhiana. The charges included tax evasion, concealment of foreign assets, and filing false statements under oath, invoking section 277 of the Income Tax Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The complaint alleged that Jacaranda Trust owned several British Virgin Islands offshore entities, such as Chillingham Holdings Limited and Limerlock International Limited.
Amarinder Singh previously dismissed the complaint as "malafide and politically motivated," claiming the Income Tax department had "failed to dig out any proof" of his alleged foreign assets.
Court Battles and Recent Developments
The ED sought access to documents from the tax department for its FEMA probe, leading to a legal battle. The magistrate court allowed the ED's plea, but the Singhs challenged this order in the additional district court of Ludhiana, which upheld the magistrate's decision. They then appealed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, arguing that the records contained confidential information protected under the Indo-French Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.
In September 2025, the High Court dismissed the petitions, ruling that the additional district judge's order was "well-reasoned" and free from legal errors. The court emphasized that the ED, as a statutory authority, is entitled to inspect judicial records for investigations, and such access does not violate the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement. However, it stipulated that the information cannot be made public without proper legal authorization.
This case highlights ongoing scrutiny into high-profile political figures and underscores the complexities of cross-border financial investigations in India's legal framework.
