Assests case registered against him, J&K Deputy CM accuses ACB of ‘vendetta’

After the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raided the residence of his brother Vijay Choudhary, a police inspector, J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary attributed the early morning raid on Wednesday to “vendetta”.

ACB officers accompanied by CRPF and J&K Police personnel reached the Santokh Vihar house of Vijay Choudhary in the morning and started searches there. “We are carrying out a search at the residence of Vijay Choudhary. The search is being conducted in connection with a disproportionate assets information” the officials said.

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Vijay Choudhary was transferred to Ladakh UT a few months ago.

Anguished over the ACB raid, Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary, who has been vocal against Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, said he did not wish to involve the Lieutenant Governor in the controversy but asserted that the raid had been carried out at the insistence of some officers within the police establishment.

“My brother has fought against terrorists in Poonch and Doda and everyone knows about his integrity and conviction,” the Deputy Chief Minister said, adding that the raid reflected “misuse and abuse of power”. He expressed confidence that the ACB teams would not find any incriminating material.

Defending his brother, the Deputy CM said that instead of being rewarded with a promotion, his brother was subjected to an ACB raid. He has always fought against terrorists and criminals.

Later in the evening, the ACB in a press release said that it has registered a Disproportionate Assets case against Vijay Singh Choudhary, Inspector, J&K Police. “On the basis of the verification conducted, a prima facie case of criminal misconduct was found made out against the accused Vijay Singh Choudhary, Inspector J&K Police under offences punishable U/S 13(1)(b) r/w section 13 (2) of PC Act 1988. Accordingly, a formal case FIR No. 02/2026 was registered at P/S ACB Central and investigation was taken up”. The ACB also released pictures of movable and immovable properties allegedly owned by him.

“Based on a specific input, a verification was conducted by J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau into the allegations of possession of huge disproportionate assets by Vijay Singh Choudhary, posted in UT of Ladakh, which revealed that the suspect while posted in different places raised huge assets amounting to crores of rupees which were found highly disproportionate to his known sources of income. Further, it revealed that more than 10 properties in the shape of houses, shops and plots of land in 100 of kanals valued in crores have been raised by him mostly in the name of family members, his relatives and others”, the ACB claimed.

“Searches were conducted by the ACB teams at different locations which includes his residential houses at Santokh Vihar, Kaluchak, Jammu, residential house at Nonial, Nowshera, Rajouri, business premises Stone Crusher and Tile Factory situated at Tutte di Khui, Bajalta, Jammu. Also on the basis of information revealed during investigation, some other locations of Jammu were searched in terms of section 185 BNSS”, the ACB added.

The ACB said that during the search, incriminating documents have been recovered and seized in the case. Further investigation of the case is going on.