By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Monday stayed the release on bail of former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Akhand Pratap Singh, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a disproportionate assets case.
Justice B.V. Gupta said the court would hear the arguments of the CBI before approving the bail decision of the lower court.
Singh was arrested on Sep 25 for allegedly possessing assets worth Rs.2 billion beyond his known sources of income.
Additional Solicitor General P.P. Malhotra appearing for the CBI prayed for cancellation of Singh’s bail as investigations were on. Singh was to be released Monday after furnishing a bail bond.
Special Judge I.K. Kochhar had ordered his release on bail on a bond of Rs.200,000 along with a surety of the amount.
Earlier, Singh’s counsel contended that there was no purpose of extending his custody as he had already been quizzed by the CBI during his 15-day custodial interrogation.
Singh was lodged in Tihar jail after completion of his CBI custody on Oct 11.
According to the corruption case registered against him in 2005, Singh acquired as many as 84 immovable properties in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand worth Rs.2 billion.
He is also accused of forging the signatures of his dead father and a friend for transferring the properties and routing financial transactions through several fictitious bank accounts.
The CBI in 2005 had conducted raids at 16 places and allegedly found huge properties in his name and in the name of his daughter.
The CBI arrested him from his Vasant Kunj farmhouse on Sep 25 while he was attempting to flee.