CBI court grants anticipatory bail to Deepak Talwar's close aide

A special CBI court has granted anticipatory bail to Yasmeen Kapoor, suspected to be a close aide of corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar in a money laundering case.

Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann granted bail to Kapoor upon a personal bail bond of Rs. 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

Special Judge Mann noted that there was no record to show that the accused will tamper with evidence or influence the witness

The Enforcement Directorate has accused Kapoor of being an alleged partner-in-crime with Deepak Talwar, a lobbyist, in causing a huge loss to Air India after its profitable routes were given to private airlines from the Middle East.

The financial investigators are probing the money laundering aspect of the loss faced by the airlines after the privatisation of its routes.

On March 15, the same court allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate Talwar for five days in judicial custody from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The court has said that the lobbyist can be questioned as per the jail rules.

ED had approached the court seeking production warrant of lobbyist Talvar in relation to a case of Indian airlines where it bought 43 planes from Airbus, France in 2006. The ED has claimed that Talwar allegedly received kickbacks in the deal.

The investigative agency suspected his involvement in irregular seat-sharing on Air India's profitable routes with some prominent international airlines.