Allahabad, May 20 (PTI): The Allahabad High Court today directed the Enforcement Directorate to investigate charges of money laundering against Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, saying that the probe should commence within two weeks.

The court gave the direction while dismissing a petition filed by the former Samajwadi Party general secretary who had challenged an FIR lodged in Kanpur nearly two years ago accusing him of various financial irregularities when the party was in power in Uttar Pradesh.

A division bench comprising justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and S S Tiwari asked the ED to commence the investigation "within two weeks" and submit a status report before the court within a month of the commencement of the probe.

Singh had moved the court challenging an FIR lodged at Babupurwa Police Station in Kanpur on October 15, 2009 by a local resident Shiv Kant Tripathi under various sections of the IPC, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Money Laundering Act.

Tripathi had also moved the court with the prayer that the issue be probed by the ED.

The petitions by Singh and Tripathi were clubbed together and heard by the bench which had reserved its judgement on March 28.