In a relief to the 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.
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.
Mr Justice Suresh Kait also asked Mr Singh to surrender his passport before the trial court which is hearing the case.
The court passed the order on an appeal filed by Mr Singh challenging the lower court’s order rejecting his bail plea.
The lower court had granted interim bail to him 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’’.
Mr Singh has been booked 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 Mr 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 Mr Singh, Sudheendra Kulkarni, former aide of BJP leader, Mr L.K. Advani, former BJP MPs Mr Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mr Mahabir Singh Bhagora and co-accused Mr Suhail Hindustani and Mr Sanjeev Saxena are in jail in connection with the case.
Mr Amar 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.