VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Dec 16: The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal in the cash for PIL case. The relief was granted by a division bench of Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice M. M. Sundresh. Amit Agrawal is the accused by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in this case along with Jharkhand High Court advocate Rajiv Kumar and the agency recently charge-sheeted both of them in this case.
The interim bail has come as a huge relief for Amit Agrawal who is currently lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi.
Amit Agrawal had filed an SLP before the Supreme Court stating that he was the complainant against Rajiv Kumar and the Kolkata police arrested Rajiv Kumar along with Rs 50 Lakh cash which the advocate had extorted from him for giving him relief in a shell company related PIL. But when the ED took up this case it made him the first accused and Rajiv Kumar as the second accused.
Amit Agrawal contended that while Rajiv Kumar was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court but he is still in judicial custody. On this Justice Sanjeev Khanna said that if the lawyer was granted bail “we deem it fit to allow his bail also.”
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard his SLP where the court asked whether or not the court should grant him bail in this case.
Additional advocate general of Jharkhand Arunabh Choudhary appeared for Amit Agrawal. It was contended that Amit Agrawal was arrested owing to his proximity to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
