Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh and two ex-BJP MPs, Mr Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mr Mahabir Singh Bhagora, were arrested at the national capital’s Tis Hazari Courts on Tuesday for alleged involvement in the cash-for-votes scam that had rocked Parliament in July 2008. The arrests came after the lower court turned down their bail pleas.
Mr Singh was taken into judicial custody and later sent to Tihar Jail after undergoing a medical examination at a government hospital. The former Samajwadi Party leader had made a dramatic entry in the court of special judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal to plead exemption from personal appearance on medical grounds. His lawyer had argued for the exemption just some hours before Mr Singh turned up armed with medical records to plead his case. He found himself under arrest instead.
Arguing his case in court, Mr Amar Singh said, “One-and-a-half years ago, I got my kidney transplanted. I am taking immuno-suppressants (drugs essential after an organ transplant) for it. As I have borrowed my kidney, at times I get infection. It is very dangerous and can collapse the foreign body (kidney) inside my body (sic). I was disturbed to see this news on TV channels and decided to come myself. I have faith in the judiciary.”
Former BJP MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora, who appeared before the court for their alleged role in attempting to bribe MPs, were also sent to Tihar.
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani’s former close aide, Mr Sudheendra Kulkarni, whose name also appears in the Delhi police chargesheet, did not appear in court Tuesday as he is in the US and due to return only after two weeks. The bail plea of accused Sohail Hindu-stani, which was also supposed to be heard Tuesday, is now slated for September 19.
Mr Amar Singh, Mr Kulaste and Mr Bhagora have been directed to appear before the court on September 19. The Delhi police has been directed to respond to Mr Singh’s plea for interim bail on September 8.
Rejecting the bail pleas, the judge said, “Grounds for interim bail in all three applications are similar as (those) for regular bail and will be considered at an appropriate stage. File reply.”
“Every application for bail will be decided after replies are filed because grounds for interim bail are same as those for regular bail,” said the court. Earlier, seeking interim bail for Mr Singh, senior advocate Amrendra Sharan and advocate Hariharan said, “There is nothing in this case and there is a high probability that ultimately the accused will not be convicted and they may even be discharged. The case has no merit at all.”
Later, Mr Hariharan told this newspaper, “We are in a limbo. We will sit in the evening and decide the course of action. As of now we are waiting for the September 8 hearing.”