The Special CBI court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail application filed by the former Minister for Tourism and BJP MLA for Vijayanagar, Anand Singh, who is an accused in one of the illegal mining cases.
With the court order going in their favour, the CBI has intensified its efforts to arrest the legislator who is believed to be in Singapore.
There is already a lookout notice issued to all police stations by the CBI. Bolstered by the order rejecting the bail plea, the agency is expected to move the court once again seeking a non-bailable warrant against Mr. Singh. According to sources in the CBI once they get a warrant, they will be able to seek the Interpol’s help to issue an international alert or a “red corner notice” seeking the arrest and extradition of Mr. Singh. “The red corner notice is usually issued against gangsters and terrorists. If Mr. Singh is arrested and extradited in this manner it will, perhaps, be the first time a sitting elected representative would be facing such a fate,” a CBI officer told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity. However, some sources also said that the red corner notice might be unnecessary as the bail application has been rejected. “His lawyers would have advised him properly. Being arrested in a foreign country and extradited would be humiliating for him,” CBI sources said. This source also said that the CBI is trying to pressure the former Minister to surrender and avoid unnecessary drama. Mr. Singh, who is the owner of Vaishnavi Minerals, was initially listed as a witness by the CBI in its investigations into the illegal export of 80 lakh tonnes of iron ore from the Belekeri port by four companies between January 2009 and May 2010. However, in the course of the investigations, the CBI said evidence of Mr. Singh’s direct involvement in the scam began to emerge.
