By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court issued notice to Delhi Police Monday while hearing applications for regular and interim bail of Rajya Sabha member and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, an accused in the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal.
While issuing the notice, Justice Ajit Bharihoke directed Delhi Police to file the status report in the case within three days.
The court will hear Amar Singh’s pleas Oct 12.
Taking up his interim bail plea on health grounds, the court directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he is being treated for a kidney-related ailment, to submit his medical report.
“The medical report of Amar Singh be called on Oct 12,” said the court.
Pressing for interim bail, Amar Singh’s counsel told Justice Bharihoke that his client had undergone kidney transplant and was suffering from a urinary tract infection. He was “a sick and infirm person”, he submitted.
“Amar Singh’s health condition is not good and even on merits there is nothing against him,” said defence counsel.
After a Delhi court Sep 28 rejected Amar Singh’s interim and regular bail pleas, the 55-year-old continues to be treated at the AIIMS where he was admitted Sep 12.
He was arrested Sep 6 for his alleged involvement in an attempt to bribe MPs ahead of the July 2008 parliament trust vote.
On July 22, 2008, three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs – Faggan Singh Kulaste, Mahavir Singh Bhagora and Ashok Argal – waved wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha ahead of the trust vote, alleging they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government.
After a Supreme Court rap for shoddy probe, police July 17 made their first arrest in the case, taking into custody Sanjeev Saxena, former aide of Amar Singh.
Three days later, middleman Suhail Hindustani was arrested and Sep 6, Amar Singh and former BJP MPs Kulaste and Bhagora were taken into custody.
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani’s former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni was the sixth person to be arrested in the case when he appeared before the court Sep 27. He then applied for an interim bail.
On Monday, police filed a second supplementary charge sheet in the case making Argal, an MP from Bhind in Madhya Pradesh, an accused in the case.