Bansal's nephew, 3 others move high court for bail

Former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla and suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, accused in the Rs.10 crore cash-for-post railway bribery scandal, Thursday moved the Delhi High Court seeking bail.

Justice Hima Kohli will hear the bail pleas of Singla, Mahesh Kumar and two others including businessman Narayan Rao Manjunath and alleged middleman Sandeep Goyal.

The trial court had denied bail to all the four accused in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested the accused for their alleged roles in the bribe case, in which a deal of Rs.10 crore was finalised for arranging one of the top positions in the Railway Board for Mahesh Kumar, then the member (staff) in the board.

Singla was the "main person" whose influence was to be used for the appointment of Mahesh Kumar, the CBI said.

Saying that accused can tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses if released on bail and were the main players who hatched the conspiracy, the trial court had dismissed their bail pleas on July 12.

All the accused have been formally charged for the offence of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The agency filed a list of 90 prosecution witnesses along with the charge sheet and named Bansal, who was forced to resign from his post as the scam was revealed, as the witness in the case.

Manjunath and Goyal had helped Mahesh Kumar in arranging money to give bribe to Singla and were to get favours from Mahesh Kumar after his appointment as Railway Board member (electrical), the CBI said in its charge sheet.

Singla allegedly demanded Rs.10 crore and accepted a bribe of Rs.90 lakh from Mahesh Kumar in his office May 3, the CBI said.