Bansal's nephew, four others sent to judicial custody

A Delhi Court Thursday sent Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla and four others to judicial custody till May 20 in a bribe case linked to appointments in the Railway Board.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma sent five accused, including prime accused and suspended railway official Mahesh Kumar, to judicial custody after they were presented in court.

Apart from Singla's close aide and industrialist Ajay Garg, businessmen N.R. Manjunath and Sandeep Goyal were also sent to Tihar Jail.

The CBI presented the five accused in court and moved an application seeking to send them to judicial custody.

The probe agency told the court that crucial witnesses were yet to be examined and some documents were to be collected from various departments.

The investigating agency further told the court that since the allegations against the accused were serious in nature and they were influential persons, they should be sent to judicial custody and not given bail.

The CBI said Garg owned a multi-crore-rupee company which supplied electrical goods to the railways.

Singla allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs.90 lakh from Kumar for his (Kumar's) appointment as member (electrical) of the powerful Railway Board.

Kumar, who was general manager (west), railways, had been promoted as member (staff) in the Railway Board and was allegedly trying to get himself appointed to a more "lucrative" post as member (electrical), the CBI said.

The CBI arrested the accused for their alleged roles in the bribe case in which a deal of Rs.10 crore was finalised for arranging for the top position in the Railway Board for Kumar.

Manjunath and Goyal, managing director of GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd, helped Kumar in arranging money to give bribe to Singla and were to get favours from Kumar after his appointment as member (electrical).

Four other co-accused - Vivek Kumar, Dharmendra, Rahul Yadav and Samir Sandhir - are already in judicial custody till May 20.

One of the accused in the case Sushil Daga is yet to be arrested.

The first information report (FIR) was filed against the accused under the Indian Penal Code's section 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with section 7, 8 and 10 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.