Cash-for-vote scam: Court reserves order on plea for further probe

A Delhi court today reserved its order on a plea by BJP MP and 2008 cash-for-vote scam accused Faggan Singh Kulaste for a probe to find out the "real beneficiaries" in the case even as Delhi Police said no further investigation can be ordered at his behest.

Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal reserved its order on the plea by Rajya Sabha member Kulaste seeking further probe into the case as also against a senior Congress leader.

Describing himself and the co-accused as whistleblowers, Kulaste told the court that the Delhi Police has brought a "happy ending" to its probe in the case by going after the "whistleblowers even as the real beneficiaries have gone scot-free."

Kulaste's counsel Anil Soni said, "Delhi Police has chosen to stop further probe to find the complete trail of money or the real beneficiaries and have failed in its public duty."

He also argued that the police should analyse the call records of a senior Congress leader to trace the source of money.

Soni also alleged that the police "have chosen not to probe or reveal the call details of S P Gupta, Aman Arora and Lovely Singh, all prosecution witnesses, although co-accused Sohail Hindustani has categorically stated they were instrumental in introducing/ conversing with the senior Congress leader to make a deal to pay BJP 'venerable' MPs to vote in favour of the UPA".

He demanded probe against the Congress leader saying, "co-accused Ashok Argal has categorically stated that co-accused Amar Singh had made them talk to that Congress leader over phone on July 22, 2008, before the delivery of Rs1 crore".