Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) Rajya Sabha MP and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh’s bail plea was rejected by a Delhi court Wednesday in the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal. He will, however, continue to stay in hospital where he is being treated for a kidney-related ailment.

Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal rejected both his pleas for regular and interim bail. The judge also said that he would stay in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences as long as the doctors thought this to be necessary.

“The accused is stable but requires monitoring. I leave it to the good judgement of these specialists and super specialists at AIIMS to decide the period for which the accused is to be kept under observation,” the judge said while pronouncing the order.

Saying that Singh played a major role in the scam, the court rejected the 55-year-old leader’s bail plea saying: “From the material available on record it appears prima facie that there are fingers which point that the accused played a major role in the entire episode which came to light July 22, 2008…there is no need to discuss the evidence threadbare and elaborate the same further touching the merits of the case as it may prejudice the case of the accused.”

Taking a note that the incident had a very deep impact on society, the court further stated: “The incident which is the basis of the present case has far reaching consequences which are beyond imagination and has a very deep impact on the society at large as an attempt to subvert the functioning of the parliament and mock the republic of India has been made.”

“The nature and gravity of the accusations against the accused cannot be lost sight of and for the foregoing reasons I decline the grant of regular bail to the accused,” the court added.

“The accused has been named in an incident which showed desperate depths to which certain political functionaries and parties stooped and the exposures represent a gross moral degeneration which disgrace the sacrosanct of parliament democracy,” the court noted.

Appearing for Amar Singh, senior advocate Hariharan had Tuesday pressed his bail on medical grounds, saying that the leader is not well and is suffering from various ailments.

“He has also developed severe abdominal pain and is prone to infection as he had undergone renal transplant,” counsel said, while reading his medical report from AIIMS.

He said Amar Singh could seek treatment in private hospitals in India and abroad if granted bail.

However, the court countered by saying his condition can be monitored in AIIMS as well.

He was admitted to AIIMS Sep 12.

Amar Singh was arrested Sep 6 for his alleged involvement in an attempt to bribe MPs ahead of the July 2008 parliament trust vote.

On July 22, 2008, three BJP MPs - Faggan Singh Kulaste, Mahabir Singh Bhagora and Ashok Argal, waved wads of currency notes on the floor of the Lok Sabha ahead of a trust vote, alleging they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government.

Kulaste and Bhagora, who are no longer MPs, have been arrested in the case. Since Argal is a member of the current Lok Sabha, Delhi Police had sought Speaker Meira Kumar’s permission to act against him. This permisssion is yet to be received.