The Delhi High Court Tuesday set aside a trial court order granting bail to journalist Upendra Rai, arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in dubious financial transactions.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva allowed the CBI's challenge to the trial court's June 8 order granting relief to Rai.
On June 18, the operation of the June 8 bail order was stayed by the high court after it sought Rai's response on CBI's plea challenging the relief.
Challenging the trial court's order, Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi and advocate Rajdipa Behura, both appearing for the CBI, had argued that Rai's custody was required as fresh arrests were being made in the case and the FIR showed that public servants were involved and under investigation.
The agency had argued that the scribe was only a "front" and other big fish were involved in the matter.
The CBI's counsel had claimed in the high court that the findings in the trial court's bail order were "utterly perverse" and the investigation was at a crucial stage.
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Therefore, the counsel said, the scribe should not be allowed bail.
Rai's counsel had claimed that the bail was rightly granted by the trial court and it should not have been stayed by the high court.
Rai was granted bail by the trial court in the CBI case on June 8 and, moments after he got the relief, he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the Tihar Jail here.
He was arrested by the CBI on May 3 for allegedly indulging in dubious financial transactions and getting an airport access pass made by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) by furnishing false information.
CBI has also arrested Bureau of Civil Aviation Security official Rahul Rathore and Air One Aviation CMD Alok Sharma in the case.
The Supreme Court on May 4 refused to interfere with his arrest.
Prasun Roy, chief security officer, Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, was also booked by the CBI, which had carried out searches at eight locations in Lucknow, Noida, Delhi and Mumbai.
In its FIR, the agency has alleged that going by the value of the transactions of over Rs 1 lakh each during 2017, Rai's accounts received Rs 79 crore, while Rs 78.51 crore was debited from it during the same period.
The ED had arrested him in the money laundering case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.
It had registered a money laundering case against him based on the CBI FIR.