Cash-for-vote: Amar Singh's aide denied bail

New Delhi: Sanjeev Saxena, an accused in 2008 cash-for-vote scam, was today refused bail by a Delhi court which said he had “links” with co-accused and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and played the role of a facilitator in the case. “From the material available on record, it prima facie appears that the accused (Saxena) had links with Amar Singh and there is grave suspicion that he played a role of a facilitator,” Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said. [caption id=“attachment_95147” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Saxena denied having worked for Amar Singh as his personal secretary as alleged by the prosecution. Reuters”]  [/caption] Saxena, a former aide of Amar Singh, is in Tihar Jail under judicial custody following his arrest on 17 July in the case. The court dismissed the bail plea taking into account that the MPs were allegedly bribed in this case to subvert the constitutional and parliamentary norms. “Keeping in view the nature and gravity of the case in which the present application for grant of regular bail has been moved, I do not deem it fit to grant bail to the accused,” the judge said. Saxena had, in the bail plea filed on 5 August, said he was arrested on false allegations. He had denied he ever worked for Amar Singh as his personal secretary as alleged by the prosecution. Saxena had said he came in touch with co-accused and alleged BJP worker Sohail Hindustani who took him to the party  headquarters and the in-charge had handed over two bags to Sohail who in turn handed over one bag to him to give it to Ashok Argal, a BJP MP. As soon as he realised that a conspiracy was hatched by BJP and BSP to destabilise the then UPA-I government and to malign Congress leader Ahmed Patel and Amar Singh, he forwarded an apology for his role by writing to both of them, Saxena had said in his bail plea. His counsel had submitted Saxena was not a part of any conspiracy as there was no meeting of minds at any stage among him and the other accused in the case. Public prosecutor Rajeev Mohan had vehemently opposed his bail plea saying Saxena became a part of existing conspiracy by delivering one crore rupees to then BJP MPs Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora. Saxena has been booked for the charges of criminal conspiracy and under the Prevention of Corruption Act. PTI