A special court in Delhi on Thursday dismissed the interim bail plea of former Bhushan Steel CMD Sanjay Singhal in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
Special Judge Ila Rawat also sent Singhal to 14-day judicial custody in the matter.
"However, the jail authorities are duty-bound under the law to provide all necessary medical facility to the accused and if required accused to also provided all necessary medical aid as per Doctor's advice and if required be even got medically examined at AIIMS/RML," the court said in its order.
The court also directed that Singhal be provided orthopaedic mattress and western toilet as per jail rules.
"As prayed accused be also provided all necessary dietary requirements as prescribed by doctors. Accused is also permitted to carry spectacles, orthopaedic mattresses and be also provided with the facility of the western toilet as per jail rules. Previous medical record documents of accused, as prayed are permitted to be carried to jail," the order read.
Singhal, who was under the custody of Enforcement Directorate since his arrest in the matter on November 22, had recently moved a Delhi court seeking interim bail cited medical reasons.
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In his plea, the former CMD had stated that he is 59 years old with a fragile heart, is being treated and is on medication since several years for multiple ailments including - Coronary artery disease, Spine Lumbar, Uncontrolled Diabetes, Severe Hypertension, Unstable Angina, Right Femoral Aneurysm, Severe pain in back, Urological disorder.
Singhal stated that he is seeking bail from the court in order to enable him to consult, get examined and treated by his trusted medical professionals and receive appropriate medical treatment, in relation to the ailments.
Appearing for the law enforcement agency, advocates Nitesh Rana and AR Aditya opposed the interim bail plea and submitted that jail authorities have sufficient treatment facilities.
Earlier Singhal's legal team argued that his client had fully cooperated with the agency and has appeared before it as and when called.
However, the ED told the court that the accused did not cooperate with the agency during questioning. They said that Singal was evasive and gave misleading replies to their questions.
Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, Ranjana Roy, and Arshdeep Singh, representing the defendant, strongly opposed the contentions made by the probe agency and said that the grounds cited by it to seek his custody are "factually incorrect".
The ED had arrested Singal under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act.
The economic watchdog has alleged that Bhushan was not cooperating with the agency during questioning and that he was evasive and gave misleading replies to their questions.
The ED had recently attached assets worth Rs 4,025 crore of Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd (BPSL). "BPSL had used various modus operandi to siphon funds obtained as loans from various banks/financial institutions," the ED had said in an official statement.
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