Former Niti Aayog CEO, others get bail in INX Media case

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to former Niti Aayog CEO Sindhushree Khullar and others in the INX Media corruption case filed by the CBI.
Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar also granted bail to former section officer of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) unit in the finance ministry Ajit Kumar Dung Dung, then under-secretary in the FIPB unit Rabindra Prasad, former officer on special duty to finance minister Pradeep Kumar Bagga, former FIPB director Prabodh Saxena and former joint secretary (foreign trade) DEA Anup K Pujari.
“The CBI has neither been able to show that the accused/ applicants are flight risk nor has it shown any reasonable ground for having any apprehension that they will tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses,” the court held.
The court, which granted them bail on a surety of Rs 2 lakh each, directed that they would not leave the country without its permission. “Mere arguments on this line will not justify the apprehension of CBI. No incidence has been cited that any of the applicants ever made attempt to influence witnesses,” the court added.
The accused individuals and entities have been charged for offences such as criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act for causing loss to the exchequer. They were allegedly involved in processing the FIPB clearance of INX Media.
During arguments, the CBI counsel opposed the bail plea and said if granted bail the accused would influence witnesses for they were all influential people.
One of the main planks of CBI’s case is the allegation of Indrani Mukerjea, formerly of INX Media, that she was asked by Chidambaram to help with his son Karti’s business and make “possible overseas remittances” in lieu of regularisation of FIPB violations by her media firm. Indrani, who is accused of murdering her daughter, has not been charged as she had turned approver and will be made a prosecution witness.