NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the bail application of Christian Michel, alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland scam, who had moved court, seeking release from Tihar jail on the grounds of the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Justice Mukta Gupta who heard the matter via video-conferencing said that the petitioner is lodged in a separate cell with only two other prisoners and thus, is not in a barrack or dormitory where there are a number of prisons. “The two inmates residing with the petitioner are not suffering from COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the apprehension of the petitioner also because of the vulnerable age and overcrowding in jail that he is likely to contact COVID-19 which may be detrimental to his health, is unfounded,” the judge said.
The counsel also said’that in Tihar Jail, each and every prisoner has been screened to check whether he is COVID-19 positive or not and no prisoner till date has been found to be suffering from the virus. Michel has been in judicial custody since January 2019.