NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court granted bail to an accused in relation to an alleged scam of Rs 35 Crores connected to the Land Development Authority and Bank of Baroda. The court noted the subsequent invocation of additional sections by the probing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him only to defeat the right of default bail to the accused.
Special Judge Manoj Kumar, in a recent order, allowed the bail of accused Nilesh Bhatt subject to furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with one surety-like amount.
The court took note of the submissions of the accused's counsel that offences against him are not punishable with death, life imprisonment or imprisonment for a term not less than ten years, relying on a Supreme Court judgment.
Counsels Aditya Singh Deshwal and Ridam Arora, representing the accused person, argued that since the first order of remand of the accused, more than sixty days have passed and no police report has been filed against him in the present case.
It was also argued that he was falsely implicated in the case.
Public Prosecutor, on the other hand, argued that the intimation regarding the invocation of sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker) and 467 (forgery) of IPC was given to the court before making the present bail plea and the accused cannot take plea of default bail.
The case is related to the investment of Rs 35 crore by Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) with Bank of Baroda which was later transferred to another account using forged signatures.
Bhatt was one of the accused persons in the case. But as per the arrest memo, nowhere it was indicated that he was also arrested for the commission of offences punishable under Section 467, 409 IPC or for conspiracy or abetment of the offences.