Shimla, Aug 4 - Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh have been booked for corruption by police in Himachal Pradesh, officials said Tuesday. The complaint against them was on the basis of a CD released in May 2008.

'Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh were booked Monday night by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau under relevant sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code),' Inspector General of Police (Vigilance) S.R. Mardi told IANS.

Mardi said they were booked on the basis of an audio CD released by Virbhadra Singh's political adversary Vijai Singh Mankotia last year. In the CD, Virbhadra Singh was heard referring to some monetary transactions on phone with former IAS officer Mahinder Lal, who is dead. The CD also contained recordings of his wife, a former MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

The state is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in the opposition at the centre.