Former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, a prosecution witness in the railway bribery case, on Tuesday failed to appear in court due to “ill health”. The court directed him to appear before it on September 22, 2014 and warned that it will not entertain any exemption application that day.
Mr. Bansal’s counsel Puneet Ahluwalia told CBI special judge Swarna Kanta Sharma that the former Minister was suffering from viral fever and thus would be unable to depose as a witness.
Mr. Bansal was summoned by the court on August 25 for testifying as a CBI witness in the Rs.10 crore railway bribery case against his nephew Vijay Singla.
His counsel requested the court to grant him exemption on Tuesday and give him another date for deposing as a witness.
The court allowed the plea and directed Mr. Bansal to appear on September 22 positively and said it will not allow a plea for exemption on the next date.
The court on Monday began recording the statements of prosecution witnesses in the case against Mr. Singla and nine other accused.
The court in March had framed charges of criminal conspiracy under the Prevention of Corruption Act against all 10 accused.
The other accused in the “cash-for-post” case are suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, middlemen Sandeep Goyal, Samir Sandhir, Sushil Daga, Ajay Garg, Rahul Yadav, businessman Manjunath and his aides M.V. Murli Krishan and Venugopal.
