Bribery case: Court sends Delhi IAS officer to CBI custody

IAS officer Sanjay Pratap Singh and his personal assistant, arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2.2 lakh, were today sent to one-day CBI custody by a Delhi court.
Singh, a 1984-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, and his personal assistant Ramesh Kumar were produced before Special CBI Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna and CBI sought seven days police remand of both the accused saying that they were required to be interrogated to ascertain whether other persons were also involved.
Singh, who was holding the post of Principal Secretary in Department of SC, ST and Minorities, has been suspended by the Delhi government.

The agency said they were required to be confronted with the incriminating documents recovered during the raids from their house and office.
It said the agency would also examine the bank lockers of Singh during the police custody and that he was required to be quizzed regarding the property papers recovered during the searches.
The investigating officer told the court that the accused had demanded a bribe of Rs 2.2 lakh from the complainant and Singh had instructed that the money be delivered to his PA.

CBI alleged that out of Rs 2.2 lakh, Singh's PA pocketed Rs 20,000.
The counsel appearing for both the accused opposed CBI's plea seeking police custody, saying that the agency has already recovered the alleged incriminating documents and there was no need for any custodial interrogation as the accused were cooperating in the probe.

The defence counsel argued that the alleged bribe money had already been seized.
During the hearing, the court told CBI that there was no justification for seeking seven-day police remand.
"In these circumstances, both the accused are remanded in CBI custody for one day. Both the accused be produced before the court on December 10," the court said.
The two accused were arrested yesterday after the
complainant approached Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's office.
CBI has said the businessman, whose firm supplies peons, security guards and other staff for sundry works to various agencies, had accused Singh of demanding Rs 2.2 lakh as bribe for clearing bills for services rendered by the company.

"The complainant had recently approached Chief Minister's Office. The CM's office then guided the complainant in trapping the official and got S P Singh arrested by CBI red handed. CBI acted on the complaint received from CM Office," a Delhi government spokesperson had said.