More trouble is lurking for former Samajwadi Party leader, Amar Singh. After his alleged former secretary, Sanjeev Saxena, was arrested by the Delhi police, police are training their guns on several 'whistle-blowers' in the case.
The Delhi police was directed on Monday by a local court to file a report on a complaint of a key prosecution witness in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam case that Rajya Sabha member of Parliament Amar Singh and others had threatened and kidnapped him ahead of his deposition before a Parliamentary committee.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday rose to the defence of former L K Advani aide Sudheendra Kulkarni in the cash-for-votes scam, saying whistleblowers cannot be charged and wondered why those who had benefitted from the scandal had not even been questioned.
Delhi Police on Friday told a court that it did not find it necessary to record the statements of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh to ascertain the authenticity of voices on the CD purportedly having their talks with lawyer and Team Anna member Shanti Bhushan.
The Allahabad high court on Friday directed the Enforcement Directorate to investigate charges of money laundering against Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Amar Singh, saying that the matter needed a thorough probe as it had "national ramifications". The court gave the direction while dismissing a petition filed by the former Samajwadi Party general secretary, who had challenged an FIR lodged in Kanpur nearly two years ago.
However, the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory has observed in its report that the entire conversation is needed, instead of just the excerpt that is on the CD, for more information.
Social activist Anna Hazare on Sunday virtually dismissed allegations against Shanti Bhushan, the co-chair of the Lokpal Bill joint drafting committee, in a CD controversy and backed his presence on the panel.
"There is no matbhed (difference) or manbhed (ill feelings) among our leaders," Yadav said.
Samajwadi Party MP Rewati Raman Singh on Monday appeared before Delhi Police for questioning in connection with the 2008 cash-for-vote scam, the fourth person to be quizzed in the past 10 days after the Supreme Court came down heavily on investigators for carrying out a shoddy probe.
Suhail Hindustani and Sanjeev Saxena, arrested in the cash-for-vote scam, on Friday alleged in a court in New Delhi that the probe against them was an "eyewash" as the Delhi police, which ruled out the role of Samajwadi Party, was questioning its former leader Amar Singh.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday termed the on-going investigation by Delhi police into the cash-for-vote scam as an "eyewash" and "cover-up", saying a clean chit had been given to Congress and Samajwadi Party without examining the whistleblower MPs and former SP leader Amar Singh.
Delhi Police has approached the Union home ministry seeking permission to question MP Amar Singh in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam.
Sanjeev Saxena, arrested for his suspected involvement in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam and believed to be a former aide of Rajya Sabha member of Parliament Amar Singh, was on Monday remanded to police custody for three days by a Delhi court.
The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested Sanjeev Saxena, considered close to former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, in connection with the 2008 cash-for-vote scam in Parliament.
Raking up the controversial CD issue, expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Tuesday asked why the Delhi police was not taking action against lawyers Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan. "Since the Delhi police says that the CD -- in which Shanti Bhushan purportedly offered to manage a judge through his lawyer son Prashant -- is genuine, then their place is in Tihar jail and not next to Anna Hazare," he said.
The contentious bill will be tables in RS on Wednesday. The BJP hopes to get up to 130 votes in a 240-member upper house.
The Supreme Court on Friday slammed the government for not cancelling the licence of Reliance Infocomm for illegally tapping the telephone of politician Amar Singh on the basis of forged orders. "Why didn't you cancel the licence of the service provider? It's gross negligence. Either the service provider was doing this deliberately or because of its incompetence on the basis of a letter full of errors," said the apex court.
Arguing for the bail to former Samajwadi Party leader, the senior advocate named Patel, changing his earlier statement that the money could have come from BJP since L K Advani had said that his party had conducted a sting operation.
It is now on record that the Congress has a history of paying money -- call it 'donations' for 'cooperation' if you like -- to MPs from the Opposition benches, says T V R Shenoy.
Rajya Sabha member of Parliament Amar Singh was on Tuesday sent to jail for his alleged role in the cash for vote scam. He has been charged under section 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code (criminal conspiracy) and section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Former Law minister Shanti Bhushan, co-chairman of the joint committee to draft the Lok Pal bill, and his son Prashant Bhushan, also a member of the committee, are likely to be in a new controversy, just a day before the first Lok Pal joint draft committee meeting.
In the continuing war of words with the Bhushans, Amar Singh on Wednesday dismissed the claim of eminent lawyer Shanti Bhushan that the two have never met and that he had used his chartered aircraft to go to Lucknow for appearing in a case.
Amit Doda, one of the accused in Abohar Dalit murder case, has surrendered before police even as the liquor baron and Akali leader Shiv Lal Doda continued to remain elusive.
The couple celebrated the big day with friends in the film industry.
Terming Amar Singh and Jaya Prada as 'intruders,' Samajwadi Party today expelled them from the party on grounds of indulging in anti-party activities and denting its socialist image.
Good times are back for Saurashtra cricket. Once the cradle of Indian cricket with names like Vinoo Mankad, Amar Singh, L Ramji and S Nyalchand donning the India cap, Saurashtra is again enjoying it's time in the sun with as many as three cricketers finally getting recognition from Indian selectors.
The booing and beating Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Legislators in Mumbai has brought rich dividends for Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra chief Abu Azmi , who has been turned into the party's hero.
"Maharashtra is a great state. There is nothing wrong in promoting Marathi. But, at the same time do not kill Hindi and Bhojpuri," Amar Singh said to reporters in neighbouring Virar in Thane district.
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Monday slammed the Congress for fielding Raj Babbar against Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law in the Ferozabad Lok Sabha bypolls, but said he had nothing against Rahul Gandhi for campaigning for the party's candidate in the constituency.
A R Rahman performed on the second day of the three-day bash to celebrate the 76th birthday of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Thursday accused the party leadership of using him as a 'dust bin' and shifting the blame on him for decisions that later backfired.
"It is not where the party president says something and the next day the exact opposite of what he had said happens. This gives out a bad image of party because it affects political credibility of the party," Singh told PTI in an interview.
The book claims that donations made by hotelier Sant Chatwa to the Clinton Foundation was instrumental in Hillary to vote in favour of the India-US civil nuclear deal in 2008.
In an apparent rebuff to Amar Singh, Congress on Monday dismissed the sulking Samajwadi Party leader's claim suggesting that his 'DNA was Congress.'
Dubbing Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav a 'don,' expelled party leader Amar Singh on Friday questioned why Jaya Bachchan was renominated for Rajya Sabha elections when he was removed from the party for bringing the Bollywood star in the organisation.
Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, who backed Mamata Banerjee in the Singur agitation, on Friday warned the railway minister against acquiring land in eastern Uttar Pradesh for the corridor project, saying there would be a 'bloodbath' against the move.
Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh has blamed the party's loss in the Firozabad Lok Sabha bypoll on the overconfidence of its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and said Yadav "behaved symbolically like Mayawati" while campaigning in the constituency.
Expelled SP leader Amar Singh, who has been sending friendly signals to Congress leadership, on Thursday defended Sonia Gandhi in the row involving Amitabh Bachchan, saying he did not see her hand in "hounding" of the actor.
Imran's uncle Jahangir Khan had played for Patiala, then captained by the Punjab CM's father.
