Railway bribery case: HC grants bail to Singla, three others

New Delhi: Delhi High Court today granted bail to Vijay Singla, nephew of former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, and three others in the Rs 10 crore railway bribery case. Besides Singla, Justice Hima Kohli allowed bail pleas of now suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, businessman Narayan Rao Manjunath and alleged middleman Sandeep Goyal and asked each of them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties of like amount.[caption id="attachment_1137747" align="alignleft" width="380"] The railways bribery scam involved Pawan Kumar Bansal. PTI. [/caption] "The applicants are enlarged on bail," Justice Kohli said directing them to furnish the personal bond and sureties to the satisfaction of the Special Judge hearing the case. After the court pronounced the order, the counsel for accused persons told the court that the presiding judge is not holding the court for today and next two days and high court should direct any other judge to accept the personal bonds and the sureties to be furnished by them. Justice Kohli allowed their submissions saying, "The district Judge or concerned Additional Sessions Judge can accept the personal bond and the sureties of the accused persons." The four accused persons had moved the high court seeking bail after the trial court on July 12 had rejected their plea. The CBI had opposed their bail pleas and that of Singla, saying he is the "main person" whose influence was to be used for the appointment of Kumar and can influence the witness while the trial court is yet to frame charges. The probe agency had said Singla was caught along with other accused who were the 'main conspirators' and the offence committed by them was of a "grave nature". All the four accused persons have been charge sheeted by CBI for the offence of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.Besides them, the CBI had arrested six others for their alleged roles in the bribe case in which a deal of Rs 10 crore was finalised for arranging one of the top positions in the Railway Board for Kumar, then the member (Staff) in the Board. Singla is alleged to have demanded Rs 10 crore from Kumar, who was recently elevated as Member (Staff) of Railway Board, for shifting him to lucrative post of Member (Electrical). Six other accused include M V Murali Krishan and C V Venugopal, Rahul Yadav, Samir Sandhir and Sushil Daga and Ajay Garg--have been chargesheeted in the case. The agency has filed a list of 90 prosecution witnesses along with the chargesheet and named Bansal, who was forced to resign from his post as Railway minister after the scam came to light, as a witness in the case. PTI