Cash scam: Court takes Sohail into custody, released later

Sohail Hindustani, who was facing non-bailable warrant for not attending the last hearing in the 2008 cash-for-vote case, today appeared before a Delhi court which ordered his arrest but released him after an hour.

Hindustani, an alleged Bharatiya Janata Party activist and accused in the case, was allowed to be released by Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal after he convinced the judge by producing travel documents that he was out of station on last hearing on August 14.

However, he was warned to be careful in future.

The accused, who is on bail along with other co-accused, had failed to attend the last hearing and went unrepresented by any advocate or his surety following which the court  had issued non-bailable warrant against him.

The Investigating Officer of the case on Wednesday told the court that the NBWs could not be executed as Hindustani himself appeared before the court.

Hindusatani was taken into the custody of the court as in the beginning he had failed to respond satisfactorily about his absence for attending the last hearing.

Following confusion over who was representing Hindustani, advocate Abhinav Dubey filed an application on his behalf seeking release. The accused informed the court that he was in Bangalore on the last date of hearing due to Ramzan and Eid.

Former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, BJP leader L K Advani's former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, BJP Member of Parliament Ashok Argal, two ex-party MPs Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora, along with Amar Singh's former aide Sanjeev  Saxena and Hindustani, are accused in the case. They are all out on bail.

On July 22, 2008, some BJP MPs had waved wads of currency notes on the floor of the Lok Sabha during the trust vote faced by the United Progressive Alliance-I government, claiming they were  given the money to vote in favour of government.