A Delhi court on Saturday remanded retired Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi and two other accused in judicial custody till December 30 in the AugustaWestland VVIP helicopter bribery case.
The two other accused are Mr. Tyagi’s cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan.
Additional Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar remanded them in judicial custody as the CBI did not seek further police custody.
Earlier, the agency produced them before the court on expiry of their three-day police remand.
The accused moved applications for bail and these are likely to be heard on December 21.
Alleged conspiracy
Mr. Tyagi had allegedly entered into a conspiracy with the other accused in 2005 and conceded to change the Air Force’s consistent stand that the 6,000-metre service ceiling of VVIP helicopters was an inescapable operational necessity. It was reduced to 4,500 metres. This helped AgustaWestland to meet the eligibility criteria for the contract. The kickbacks were received through middlemen and relatives, the CBI alleged.
The deal to supply choppers from AgustaWestland came under the scanner after Italian authorities claimed that the company paid bribes.
(With inputs from PTI)
