Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh was on Thursday granted interim bail till September 19 by a special court here on health grounds. He was in judicial custody along with two former BJP MPs in the cash-for-votes scam case.
Mr. Singh furnished a personal bond for Rs.2 lakh with a surety for a like amount. He has been asked not to leave the capital and to deposit his passport with the court immediately. “The accused shall not tamper with evidence or try to influence witnesses. He shall join further investigation as and when required,” Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said in her order.
Having considered the report submitted by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences where Mr. Singh has been admitted, the judge said: “It appears the health of the accused is fluctuating and perhaps this necessitated his shifting from the Tihar jail to the AIIMS. The report says there has been an increase in the creatinine level and there is a urinary tract infection. The white blood cell counts have also increased… suggestive of spreading infection and [being] harmful to the transplanted kidney.”
Though the accused was a known figure, he could not be shown extra indulgence but “must not also be subjected to undue harshness as the human angle can never be lost sight of by the courts of equity, justice and good conscience.”
The judge directed the AIIMS director to submit a comprehensive report based on his day-to-day health status on September 19. “In case, the accused is discharged before September 19, the Institute director shall apprise the court without loss of time.”
Mr. Singh's regular bail application is listed for hearing on September 19.
