By IANS,
New Delhi: A court Tuesday reserved its order on bail plea of former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, accused in the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal, for Wednesday, while extending his interim bail for a day.
The Rajya Sabha MP, admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for a kidney related ailment, whad been granted interim bail till Tuesday.
Extending his interim bail till Wednesday, Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal also dismissed his application to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Appearing for Amar Singh, senior advocate Hariharan said the 55-year-old leader is not well and is suffering from various ailments.
“He has also developed severe abdominal pain and is prone to infection as he had undergone renal transplant,” the counsel said while reading his medical report from AIIMS.
He said Amar Singh could seek treatment in private hospitals in India and abroad if given bail.
However, the court countered his point by saying his condition can be monitored in AIIMS as well.
Hariharan further contended that the prosecution had no evidence against his client.
“The prosecution is not able to show an iota of evidence apart from the disclosure statement of other co-accused, which cannot be relied upon. The prosecution is unable to lay the foundation of the conspiracy charge against Amar Singh. The basic ingredients of a conspiracy are not satisfied in the prosecution’s case at all,” he said.
The arguments were however opposed by the public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan, who said that there was no doubt regarding the motive for which the money was given to MPs.
“They cannot say the act was whistle-blowing and escape,” he added.
Amar Singh was arrested Sep 6 for his alleged involvement in an attempt to bribe MPs ahead of the July 2008 parliament trust vote.
He was put under medical observation Sep 13 after he complained of ill-health.
Two former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Singh Bhagora, were also arrested in the case.
On July 22, 2008, Kulaste, Bhagora and a third BJP MP Ashok Argal waved wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha ahead of a trust vote, alleging they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government.