Hearing on IAS officer Ravi Inder Singh’s bail plea Jan 27
By IANSTuesday, January 18, 2011
NEW DELHI - Suspended union home ministry officer Ravi Inder Singh, accused of allegedly leaking sensitive information to unauthorised people, Tuesday sought bail from the Delhi High Court, saying he neither favoured the co-accused nor accepted any illegal gratification. The hearing was adjourned till Jan 27.
“The applicant (Singh) did not receive any illegal gratification from co-accused Vineet Kumar (the CMD of Kolkata-based Temptation Food Private Limited) to extend any favour,” senior advocate K.T.S. Tulsi contended before Justice Hima Kohli.
Singh, an Indian Administrative Services (IAS), approached the high court after a lower court rejected his bail plea, observing “the nature of offence and the position and power he wielded are sufficient to deny the relief and they are sufficient to influence witnesses”.
Tulsi claimed that no file relating to the Kolkata-based firm was pending with the ministry, hence, the question of extending any favour did not arise.
The officer availed of the accommodation provided by Vineet Kumar as he was known to him, Tulsi said and added that the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act have been wrongly invoked against him.
After hearing the arguments, Justice Kohli fixed the next hearing for Jan 27.
Singh, who was working as director (internal security) in the union home ministry, and Vineet Kumar, who was allegedly acting as a middleman for him, were arrested Nov 23.
Instead of government accomodation, Singh had chosen to stay in a private guesthouse and the monthly rent of Rs.50,000 was being paid by Vineet Kumar’s company ever since the officer moved to New Delhi from Kolkata last year.
He also allegedly used a car provided by Vineet Kumar, police said.
Vineet Kumar obliged the officer as in return he wanted information about security clearance of a file relating to Britain-based firm Telcordia Technologies Inc., police claimed.
He was also acting at the behest of a US-based telecom company to procure information relating to some files, the police said.
The IAS officer looked after a division that, among other things, handled the row over security concerns related to BlackBerry.
In addition to corruption charges, police have accused Singh of forgery for the purpose of cheating and using forged documents, causing disappearance of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
Delhi Police are likely to file a charge sheet in a trial court in Tis Hazari district court complex here by Jan 23, when Singh will complete 60 days in judicial custody.
