New Delhi(IANS) : A city court Wednesday rejected the bail application of Ashok Malhotra, the alleged mastermind of a multi-million-rupee land scam in the capital, and seven others, noting that prima facie it seemed they had committed a very serious offence.
“I hold that accused Ashok Malhotra, S.N.S. Sidhu, Atul Vashist, R.S. Sandhu, Sumer Chand Garg, Phillip Toppo, A.K. Mishra and Ashok Jain prima facie appear to have committed a very serious offence and in my considered view they are not entitled to bail in this case,” Special Judge S.K. Kaushik said.
Ashok Soni, counsel for Malhotra, argued that the accused had never misused the interim bail, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had already filed the charge sheet and there was no apprehension that he can hamper the investigations.
He said the CBI did not arrest the others accused who were found eligible for bail by the Delhi High Court, so his client, should also be released on bail on the “ground of parity”, Soni pleaded before court.
Opposing the bail plea, the CBI told the court that the cases were under investigation and release of any accused on bail would hamper the investigation of the case.
Justifying Malhotra’s arrest, the CBI submitted that despite a notice served on him he did not join the investigation but absconded and did not surrender till arrest warrants were issued against him.
It claimed it had seized incriminating documents during the custodial interrogation of Malhotra with other accused Sandhu, Sidhu, Jain, Garg, Toppo and Vasisth.
Malhotra was arrested Aug 6 for allegedly hatching a criminal conspiracy with five Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and two Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials to fraudulently acquire plots, meant for resettlement of slum-dwellers between 2000 and 2002.