NEW DELHI: Businessman Gautam Khaitan, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with alleged kickbacks in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal case, has been sent to judicial custody till Tuesday by a Delhi court.
Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria had yesterday sent Khaitan in two-day judicial custody after ED submitted that he was not required for further custodial interrogation.
Khaitan was produced before the court after expiry of his five-day ED custody.
ED had earlier alleged in the court that Rs 360 crore was paid as kickbacks in the entire deal. Khaitan has filed a bail application, through advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey, on which the chief metropolitan magistrate had issued notice to ED to give its response by tomorrow.
The bail plea would also be taken up for hearing tomorrow when Khaitan would be produced in court.
In the bail plea, Khaitan said he should be enlarged on bail as he has always cooperated during the investigation and there was no apprehension that he would flee from justice. ED submitted that Khaitan was on board of Chandigarh-based company Aeromatrix which was allegedly a front firm for the financial dealings in the chopper deal.
Khaitan's counsel, however, had told the court that his client was nowhere connected with the day-to-day affairs of the firm and he had resigned from the post way back in October 2010.
Khaitan was arrested under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by ED which had lodged a case in July this year against Khaitan, former IAF chief S P Tyagi and 19 others in the VVIP chopper deal case to probe alleged kickbacks. The spokesman further said retired officers are part of the society and if any one of them has a desire to join politics, they have a right to do so.
Meanwhile, two recently retired IPS officers, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Ram Chander Jowal and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ranbir Sharma have floated their own parties.
While Jowal has floated 'Apna Raj Front', Sharma, who had joined Aam Aadmi Party during the Lok Sabha elections has floated 'Lok Swaraj Party' after quitting the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
Jowal who believes the present "rotten system" needs to be changed, says "we promise to provide equal opportunities to people of all castes and communities in power politics."
Sharma, who is son-in-law of former union minister I D Swami, says he resigned from service as he didn't want to be part of corruption.
"The present system has collapsed and needs to be changed," he said. Another cop, Raj Singh Mor, is the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) nominee from the Narnaund Assembly segment.
Two former Director General of Police (DGP), Mahender Singh Malik and A S Bhatotia, too are participating in the political slugfest in the state.
While Malik is associated with the Om Parkash Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal, Bhatotia, a 1973 batch officer shifted from BJP to Congress and then to AAP.
Former ADGP P V Rathi, who recently resigned as the principal adviser to Haryana Chief Minister, is also attempting to make forays into the political arena.