Retired Lt. Gen. denied bail, sent to jail in V. K. Singh bribe case

A Special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of former Lt. Gen. Tejinder Singh ( 64) and sent him behind bars in connection with a case lodged against him for offering a bribe of ` 14 crore to former Army Chief General V. K. Singh for clearing Tatra vehicles file.

The court refused to take lenient view towards Mr Singh and cancelled his bail plea. “No Mercy should be taken towards the accused,” the court noted and fixed the matter for October 20.

Mr Singh had appeared before the special CBI court in pursuance to the summons issued to him. He told the court that he had been supporting the CBI during the probe and moved a bail application. The defence counsel appearing for him argued that there was no apprehension of tampering with the evidence in the case and he should be granted bail. The defence counsel argued that Mr Singh was being falsely implicated in the case. The CBI official opposed Mr Singh’s bail plea and said that no leniency should be shown to him as offering a bribe to Army Chief was not a small offence. The court after hearing the submission dismissed the bail plea of Tejinder Singh.

The CBI official present in the court arrested Mr Singh as soon as the court pronounced its order against him. Mr Singh was taken to the lock up from where he was sent to Tihar Jail. The court has remanded Mr Singh to judicial custody till October 20.

“The law of land should be equal for all and if a person who commits a theft of ` 1,000 is sent to the jail under the provisions of law without any mercy, then a person who was holding the rank of Lt. Gen. in the Army and who retired from this post and offered a bribe of ` 14 crores to the then Army general should not be shown any mercy by the court,” the court noted.