Cash-For-Vote Scam: Amar Singh To Be Questioned On Friday
New Delhi, July 21: Taking forward its probe in the cash-for-vote scam, Delhi police is all set to grill Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh tomorrow for his alleged role in the sensational case.Singh, the then
New Delhi, July 21: Taking forward its probe in the cash-for-vote scam, Delhi police is all set to grill Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh tomorrow for his alleged role in the sensational case.
Singh, the then General Secretary of Samajwadi Party, is accused of sending bribe money to win over three BJP lawmakers during the 2008 trust vote.
Sources said Delhi Police's Crime Branch will call him for questioning tomorrow.
The decision to call Singh for questioning comes a day after arrest of Suhail Hindustani, who allegedly acted as a liaison between Singh and BJP MPs.
Hindustani was arrested yesterday under Prevention of Corruption Act after seven hours of grilling by the Crime Branch about his role in the case.
On Sunday, police had arrested Sanjeev Saxena, once considered close to Singh who allegedly delivered cash to the MPs to vote in favour of the UPA during trust vote, was arrested.
The arrests and fresh investigations into the case have come after Delhi Police was slammed by Supreme Court last week for its “callous” approach in this case. Besides Amar Singh, police is also expected to question Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh and BJP MP Ashok Argal.
Questioning of BJP leader L K Advani's former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, who allegedly was behind sting operation to trap the bribe-givers, is also likely to take place.
Meanwhile, Sanjeev Saxena and Sohail Hindustani, arrested for their alleged role in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam, were today remanded to police custody till tomorrow even as Delhi Police said no Congress or Samajwadi Party leader had contacted the accused to strike a deal for MPs.
The crime branch of Delhi police sought two days' police custody but Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal allowed only a day to question them.
“Both the accused are remanded to police custody till tomorrow,” the court said.
The prosecution refuted Hindustani's allegation that former SP leader Amar Singh and some Congress leaders had contacted him to negotiate with certain BJP MPs for their vote in favour of the trust motion for Manmohan Singh government in 2008.
“During investigation it has come on record that neither any leader of Congress Party has made any effort to contact Hindustani nor any SP leader contacted him to strike a deal with MPs,” the police said in its remand application. It added that “rather it is clear that it was only Hindustani who was making repeated attempts to contact various persons to strike a deal for monetary considerations in the name of three BJP MPs”.
The prosecution said Hindustani had hatched the whole conspiracy.
Public Prosecutor Rajeev Mohan submitted that July 22, 2008 was the “most unfortunate day for a democratic set up” as money was waved on the floor of Parliament during the debate on the confidence motion.
The prosecution submitted that they need to confront both Hindustani and Saxena with each other to complete the probe.
Slammed by the Supreme Court for a shoddy probe into the cash-for-vote scam, Delhi Police had first arrested Saxena on July 17. It arrested Hindustani yesterday.
Saxena was then remanded in police custody for three days. He and Hindustani have been booked for various offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, police said.
The case was registered in 2009 on the recommendation by a Parliamentary committee which was constituted to probe the cashscam dating back to July 22, 2008 when some BJP MPs had waved bundle of notes on the floor of Lok Sabha saying that they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government. PTI