By IANS,
Chandigarh : The prime accused in the cash-for-judge scam, New Delhi-based hotelier Ravinder Singh, surrendered before the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Friday.
Judge Jagdeep Jain sent Singh to CBI remand till Sep 23. The court allowed two of his counsel to remain present during his interrogation.
CBI counsel had demanded 14 days’ remand and argued that the agency needed more time for interrogation.
The court did not accept Singh’s plea for an identification parade to know if he knew the judges who names figured in the scam which came to light here last month.
“The money did not belong to me and I do not know anything about this matter. I am surprised that how these people have dragged my name in this case,” Ravinder Singh said.
Singh Thursday told the court that the two packets containing Rs.1.5 million each and delivered to two judges of the court last month did not belong to him.
The claim added a new twist to the scam as the other arrested accused, former Haryana additional advocate general Sanjeev Bansal and local property dealer Rajiv Gupta, who had got the money delivered last month, had said the money belonged to Singh.
Singh’s plea for anticipatory bail in the high court was dismissed Thursday. Bansal and Gupta are in judicial custody.
The scandal came to light after a packet containing Rs.1.5 million was delivered at the Sector 11 residence of high court judge Nirmaljit Kaur Aug 13.
The judge reported the matter to the Chandigarh Police, which registered a case and started investigations. The case was later transferred to the CBI as it involved the judiciary.
The police investigations revealed that the packet was to be delivered to another high court judge, Nirmal Yadav. She was later delivered another packet containing Rs.1.5 million, investigations showed.
Yadav has been on leave since Aug 22. Her name also figured in a land deal in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.