Cash-for-votes money must have come from BJP: Jethmalani

New Delhi: While arguing for bail for Amar Singh, senior advocate and BJP's Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani told the court Monday that the money in the attempt to bribe MPs ahead of the 2008 parliament trust vote did not come from his client, but "probably from a BJP source".

"There is no allegation against Singh that he arranged or gave money to anybody in the alleged offence," Jethmanali told Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal.

"Recently leader of opposition L.K. Advani spoke in the Lok Sabha that this (television) sting was organised by BJP... So the money probably came from a BJP source. Singh did not provide the money. Moreover, the sting was done to expose corruption, this shows that anything they did was not unlawful," added Jethmalani.

He said this case is about the sting operation carried out by CNN-IBN, a private news channel, and the intention behind it was clear -- to expose corruption "so anything done by the MPs was not unlawful".

"Sanjiv Saxena (Amar Singh's aide), co-accused and the alleged middle man, has in his statement earlier told the court that he gave the money to the three BJP MPs, and when the BJP claims it to be their sting the money must have come from the treasurer of the party," Jethmalani told the court.

Pressing his point further, he urged the court to give interim bail to Singh on humanitarian grounds.

"Singh has a wife who is on wheel chair and is a patient herself from the past six years. There are two small children in the house and nobody to look after them. Moreover, the world's best nephrologist has too in his report said that Singh is unwell and his condition is deteriorating day by day. If granted bail, he would not abscond," said defence counsel.

Counsel also referred to 55-year-old Singh's medical reports and stated that he is really sick.

"This case should be considered on humane grounds. My client is not going to die but is really sick. His urinary infection has increased and certain parameters have reached an alarming level," counsel added.

However, the judge reserved the order on Amar Singh's interim bail application till Tuesday.

Amar Singh, 55, was arrested Sep 6 and sent to judicial custody till Sep 19.

Amar Singh and two former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Fagan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Singh Bhagora were arrested Sep 6 for their alleged involvement in the attempt to bribe MPs ahead of the July 2008 parliament trust vote.

 

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