CASH AT JUDGE’S DOOR: To evade media, ex-Haryana AAG spends 2 extra hours in jailAfter spending more than 50 days behind the bars, former Haryana Additional Advocate General (AAG) Sanjeev Bansal, accused in the cash-at-judge’s-door case, was released on bail on Monday. The Court of Special CBI Judge Jagdeep Jain also granted bail to co-accused Prakash Ram and Rajiv Gupta, Bansal’s munshi and friend, respectively. The other two accused — Nirmal Singh, a property dealer, and Ravinder Singh, the alleged kingpin — are still behind the bars. A bail application demanding Ravinder’s release was filed in the court on Monday, while that of Nirmal Singh is likely to be filed shortly. Arguing for Bansal’s bail, defence counsel S K Vohra said he had already been in jail for 53 days. He submitted that all documents and relevant material pertaining to the case had already been recovered by the CBI and keeping the accused further in jail would serve no purpose. The special CBI prosecutor contested the bail applications, submitting that the whereabouts of Jai Parkash, senior munshi of Sanjeev Bansal who was required by the agency for investigation, was still not known. He said the accused should not be granted bail as they might tamper with the evidence and influence the case once released. Showing little conviction in the contentions raised by him, the court allowed the bail applications of the three. While Bansal and Gupta were directed to furnish bail bonds of Rs 2 lakh each, Parkash Ram furnished a bail bond of Rs 25,000. High drama prevailed at the Burail Jail late in the evening after the supporters and relatives of Bansal gathered outside to greet him on his release. They tried their best to dodge the lensmen and reporters waiting for Bansal. A number of cars were lined up, waiting for Bansal and the two others. Exactly at 6.50 pm, when Rajiv Gupta and Parkash Ram came out, Bansal’s relatives and advocate friends hugged Gupta and covered his face with a piece of cloth, trying to project him as Bansal. “I hope everything was fine inside the jail. Mediapersons are waiting for you, don’t talk to them,” a supporter could be heard telling Gupta. Within seconds, all the vehicles left the scene.Around 8.45 pm, when the mediapersons had left, it is learnt Bansal quietly came outside the jail and was taken away by his friends, who were all the while keeping a tab on the mediapersons by visiting the jail after regular intervals.
