Author: PTI
Publication: DNA (Daily News & Analysis)
Date: August 5, 2011
URL: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_cash-for-votes-scam-supreme-court-slams-delhi-police-for-probe_1572793
The Supreme Court Friday slammed Delhi Police
for its "half-hearted" probe into the cash-for-vote scam and asked
it to take the investigations to its logical conclusion and submit a final
report within three weeks.
A bench of justices Aftab Alam and RM Lodha
also regretted a middleman of the "cheapest kind" was allowed to
derail Parliamentary proceedings.
"It is a half-hearted attempt by you
(Delhi police). You must take it to the logical conclusion," the bench
said after perusing the preliminary report of Delhi Police which claimed no
political leader was involved in the 2008 scam.
Declining to grant 40 days time sought by
Delhi Police, the court asked it to submit a final report within three weeks.
"It is so disgusting that a middle man
of the cheapest kind had been allowed to interfere with Parliamentary proceedings
and he had succeeded," the bench observed.
The apex court hoped Delhi Police will do
a fair and free investigation into the alleged unfortunate episode.
"We are sure that the Delhi Police can
investigate in a fair and free manner. They are as good as any other investigating
agency and will follow the law in letter and spirit," the bench told
Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal, appearing for the probe agency.
Delhi Police Thursday filed its status report
on the probe into the scam in which it arrested Suhail Hindustani and Sanjeev
Saxena and quizzed MPs Amar Singh, Rewati Raman Singh and Ashok Argal.
The report was submitted in a sealed cover.
Delhi Police swung into action after the apex
court on July 15 expressed unhappiness over the "callous" approach
to the probe.
Saxena, an alleged aide of Amar Singh, was
first arrested on July 17 for allegedly trying to bribe BJP MPs during UPA
government's trust vote on July 22, 2008.
The second arrest was of Hindustani, who alleged
to have acted as a liaison between Amar Singh and the BJP MPs, allegedly bribed
during the trust vote.
The police had virtually given a clean chit
to Congress and Samajwadi Party on July 21 when it told a trial court that
none from the two parties had contacted Hindustani, the alleged "master
orchestrator" of the conspiracy to bribe BJP MPs to vote in favour of
Manmohan Singh government in the trust vote.
Police also said former Bihar Governor Buta
Singh's son Arvinder Singh was approached by Hindustani for contacting Congress
leaders for striking a deal while allegedly hatching a conspiracy to bribe
BJP MPs during the confidence motion.
Amar Singh, former Samajwadi Party General
Secretary and Rajya Sabha member, was interrogated for about three hours by
Delhi Police on July 22.
The police had also interrogated Samajwadi
Party MP Rewati Raman Singh on July 25 and BJP MP Ashok Argal on July 26 in
connection with the scam.
