By IANS,
New Delhi: Sanjeev Saxena, a close aide of former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, was Sunday arrested on bribery charges in connection with the 2008 parliamentary trust vote, two days after the Supreme Court upbraided the police for its tardy investigations.
“Sanjeev Saxena was arrested from Delhi after his interrogation today (Sunday),” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Chand.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police said it would question a few more people, including Amar Singh, in the case. “We had grilled two former BJP members Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora three months ago,” said the officer.
An apex court bench of Justice Aftab Alam and Justice R.M. Lodha Friday lambasted police after they filed a status report on investigations into the alleged cash-for-votes episode.
“We are wholly unsatisfied with the status report,” the court said.
On July 22, 2008, three BJP members brought Rs.1 crore in cash into the Lok Sabha and alleged that money was paid to them to secure their votes in the trust vote, after the Left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance-I government over the India-US civilian nuclear deal.
The three BJP members were – Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora. The BJP alleged that Saxena was allegedly caught on camera in a sting operations giving money to the three BJP members.
They also alleged that it was Saxena who called Amar Singh from his mobile phone and got the three BJP members to talk to him in order to fix a deal.
However, Amar Singh denied any role in the episode and distanced himself from Saxena.