Cash-for-votes: Amar Singh granted bail on medical grounds

In a relief to Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, the Delhi high court today granted bail to him in the 2008 cash-for-vote case but restrained him from leaving the country without its permission.

In a relief to Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, the Delhi high court on Monday granted bail to him in the 2008 cash-for-vote case but restrained him from leaving the country without its permission.

While granting bail to 55-year-old Singh, who was undergoing treatment at AIIMS under judicial custody, the court asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

Justice Suresh Kait also asked Singh to surrender his passport before the trial court which is hearing the cash-for-vote case.

The court passed the order on an appeal filed by Singh challenging the lower court's order rejecting his bail plea.

The lower court had granted interim bail to Singh on September 15 on medical grounds, which continued till September 28 when the judge ordered his re-arrest while dismissing his regular and interim bail pleas on the ground that he was "stable".

Singh has been booked under under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code in the cash-for-vote case.

The high court had on October 19 reserved its order on Singh's bail plea.

Pleading for bail during arguments, the former Samajwadi Party general secretary submitted that he was hospitalised for treatment of multiple ailments and needed constant medical attention.

"It is an admitted case that Singh is living on a donated kidney, transplanted in Singapore, and the surgeon, who did the surgery, is supposed to take care of the patient after the transplant. Unfortunately, the lower court did not consider it and termed his condition as stable," his counsel pleaded.

The Centre had submitted that the medical reports given by AIIMS could not be disputed and "all is not well" with his medical condition.

Besides Singh, Sudheendra Kulkarni, former aide of BJP leader LK Advani, former BJP MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora and co-accused Suhail Hindustani and Sanjeev Saxena are in jail in connection with the case.

Singh, who was arrested on September 6, had sought bail on medical grounds. He was taken to AIIMS from Tihar Jail on September 12 evening after a bout of vomiting and diarrhoea.