Cash-for-vote scam: Amar Singh aide Saxena remanded to 3-day police custody

The Tis Hazari Court in New  Delhi on Monday remanded  former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh’s close aide Sanjeev Saxena, arrested on bribery charges in connection with the 2008 parliamentary trust vote, to three days’ police custody.

Saxena has claimed that Amar Singh gave him the money to bribe some MPs to abstain during the trust vote in 2008, said CNN IBN,  citing police sources. Saxena was produced in the court by the Delhi Police which had arrested him on Sunday. He has been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Special judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal remanded Sanjeev Saxena to police custody till 21 July, on the plea by Delhi Police Crime Branch that his custodial interrogation is required to get to the bottom of the “conspiracy”.

Seeking Saxena’s custody, prosecution submitted that they have to question him to know the whereabouts of Sanjay, the then driver of Amar Singh with whom he had allegedly gone to the residence of a BJP MP to hand over a sum of Rs one crore.

The prosecution also submitted that they have to recover the mobile phone used during that period and to ascertain the source of money which allegedly changed hands in the scam.

Slammed by the Supreme Court for a shoddy probe in the cash-for-vote scam, Delhi Police had yesterday made its first arrest in the case picking up Saxena for allegedly trying to bribe BJP MPs ahead of the UPA government’s trust vote in 2008.

The three BJP members were Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora. The BJP alleged that Saxena was allegedly caught on camera in a sting operations giving money to the three MPs.

They also alleged that it was Saxena who called Amar Singh from his mobile phone and got the three BJP members to talk to him in order to fix a deal.

However, Amar Singh denied any role in the episode and distanced himself from Saxena.

Following Saxena’s claims, Amar Singh is also likely to be questioned. Watch video: