ED Jalandhar top official transferred after Amarinder is summoned in FEMA case

Days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and son Raninder Singh in a case of alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, the senior-most officer of the central agency posted here has been transferred to Chennai.

Additional Director Ravi Tewari has been replaced by Additional Director Dinesh Pachauri.

While Raninder had been summoned for Thursday, Amarinder had been asked to appear on Friday.

Related news: Foreign assets case: Ex-Punjab CM Amarinder’s son Raninder skips ED summons

Both failed to appear as the former chief minister is admitted to a Mohali hospital for a knee surgery.

Tewari, a 2009 IRS officer, had joined in Jalandhar in September 2023. His transfer at a time when the summons to the senior BJP leader were issued is being seen as a direct consequence of the action.

The summons to Amarinder, who is a member of the BJP National Executive Committee, had taken political circles by surprise. Having remained inactive for long, he had recently been giving interviews expressing his views in favour of the alliance of the saffron party with the SAD. He had also hinted at a slight unease within the party.

Following this, Congress general secretary and Punjab Affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel had said that if Amarinder wanted to return to the Congress, the party high command could consider it.

Congress leader Pargat Singh had also termed the ED move as an attempt by the saffron party to use central agencies to muzzle his voice.

Raninder was first summoned by the ED in July 2016. He was quizzed over the alleged movement of funds to Switzerland and the creation of the Jacaranda Trust. He again appeared before the ED in November 2020. The ED probe against him was reportedly linked to the Income Tax Department’s alleged findings that certain assets acquired by him abroad were not disclosed.

ED sources said the summons to Amarinder was also related to this.

Raninder had taken to X following the summons, saying, “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.”