Sudheendra Kulkarni, former aide of BJP leader L.K. Advani, and two former Bharatiya Janata Party MPs, accused in the cash-for-vote case, on Saturday moved the Delhi high court challenging refusal of bail to them by the trial court.
Kulkarni, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora approached the Delhi high court challenging the verdict of the trial court which dismissed their bail pleas.
The trial court had rejected the bail of Kulkarni, who is in jail since September 27, saying he was the “guiding star” and “facilitator” of the “conspiracy aimed at mocking” the republic of India.
In the petition filed through advocate Mahipal Ahluwalia, Kulkarni said he, along with the BJP MPs, got involved in the sting operation, conducted by a private news channel, only to expose the “horse-trading” that was going on to save the then UPA-1 government in the vote of trust in the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2008.
Claiming themselves to be “whistleblowers” who helped in exposing the corruption to save the government, they pleaded the trial court had wrongly dismissed their plea for bail and that order should be set aside.
The trial court had on October 21 dismissed the bail pleas of Kulkarni, Bhagora and Kulaste.
The court had brushed aside the contentions of the accused of being whistleblowers in the case saying despite having “ample opportunities” they did not disclose about the bribe given to them to any law-enforcing agency.
Besides, the then Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, BJP MP Ashok Argal, Samajwadi Party MP Rewati Raman Singh have also been made accused in the case.
The high court had earlier granted bail to Amar Singh on medical ground and it had also stayed the summoning order issued by the trial court to Rewati Raman Singh.