Romesh Sharma spent 13 years in jail in a case lodged for allegedly grabbing a helicopter and keeping it at his farmhouse in Delhi.
Romesh Sharma, alleged front man of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was Tuesday granted bail by the Delhi High Court after spending nearly 13 years in jail in a case lodged for allegedly grabbing a helicopter and keeping it at his farmhouse in Delhi.
Justice VK Shali allowed the bail plea of Sharma, who is in jail since October 20, 1998, in connection with the case and asked him to furnish a personal and two surety bonds of Rs 20 lakh each as a precondition for his release.
Besides the chopper grabbing case, Sharma is also facing trial in nearly a dozen criminal cases.
Later, the probe was transferred to CBI and the trial in the case is at its fag end with the prosecution concluding its final arguments before a sessions court.
CBI, in its charge sheet, alleged Sharma came in contact with Rao in 1996 and expressed his desire to hire Rao's chopper for campaigning in the polls and later did not give it back to the complainant. Sharma, in his bail plea, said Rao received Rs 30 lakh as "full and final" payment for the sale of the chopper and gave his nod to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its registration in his (Sharma) name.
Justice Shali, after hearing arguments, had reserved his order in the case on September 27.
CBI alleged one of co-accused Harish Misra had struck the deal with Rao on behalf of Romesh Sharma for leasing out the helicopter for two years.
The helicopter was seized from Sharma's farm house near Delhi on October 21, 1998.
Besides Sharma and Harish, eight others are facing trial in the case lodged under penal provisions relating to kidnapping, wrongfully confining a person, extortion, robbery and criminal intimidation.
Sharma, in his bail application, said other co-accused have already been granted bail and a suit filed by complainant H Suresh Rao, alleged owner of the Bell-47 helicopter, has been dismissed also by a civil court way back in 2002.
Rao had lodged an FIR with Delhi police in 1998 alleging Sharma had hired his chopper for election campaign at Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh during 1996 Lok Sabha polls and later he did not return it and forcibly kept it in his farmhouse here.
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