Suspended IAS officer seeks bail from HC in corruption case

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) Suspended IAS officer RaviInder Singh, accused of passing official information from theMinistry of Home Affairs to unauthorised persons, today soughtbail from the Delhi High Court saying he neither favoured theco-accused nor accepted any illegal gratification.

"The applicant (Singh) did not receive any illegalgratification from co-accused Vineet Kumar (the CMD ofKolkata-based Temptation Food Pvt Ltd) to extend any favour,"senior advocate K T S Tulsi contended before Justice HimaKohli.

Singh, who is in jail since his arrest by Delhi policeon November 23, has moved the High Court after the lower courtrejected his bail plea saying "the nature of offence and theposition and power he wielded are sufficient to deny therelief and they are sufficient to influence witnesses."

During the argument, the senior advocate today claimedthat no file relating to the Kolkata-based firm was pendingwith the MHA and hence, the question of extending any favourdid not arise.

The officer availed the accommodation provided byVineet Kumar as he was known to him, Tulsi said, adding thatthe relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (PC)Act have wrongly been invoked against him.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Kohli fixed thematter for further hearing on January 27.

Singh, the then Director Internal Security in the MHA,along with Kumar who was allegedly acting as a middleman forhim, was arrested by Delhi Police''s Special Cell.

Instead of government accomodation, Singh had chosento stay in a private guest house and the monthly rent ofRs.50,000 was being paid by Kumar''s company since hisdeputation to New Delhi from Kolkata in January this year. Healso allegedly used a car provided by Kumar, police said.

Kumar obliged the officer as he wanted in returninformation about security clearance of a file relating toUnited Kingdom-based firm Telcordia Technologies Inc, policealleged.

He was also accused of acting at the behest of aUS-based telecom company to procure information relating tosome files, they said.

In addition to charges under the PC Act, police havealso booked Singh under section 468 (forgery for the purposeof cheating) and 471 (using forged documents), 201 (causingdisappearance of evidence) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) ofthe IPC.

The lower court had recently dismissed the bail pleaof both of the accused.