Order reserved on plea against Amar Singh

A Delhi court has reserved its order till March 1 on a plea seeking a review of a magistrate’s order disallowing registration of an abduction case against Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh and others.

The plea was filed by Hashmat Ali, a prosecution witness in the cash-for-votes episode in parliament ahead of a trust vote in 2008.

“To come up for order March 1,” said Additional Sessions Judge Neena Bansal Krishna in an order made available Wednesday.

Judge Krishna has also asked trial court to submit its records in the case.

Ali in his petition sought registration of a case against Amar Singh, his close aides Tarun and Ramesh for the offence of kidnapping, illegal confinement and other sections along with the Arms Act.

His petition was dismissed by Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar in November last year.

He requested the additional sessions court to quashed the magistrate’s order and register a case against Amar Singh and others.

He told the sessions court that the magistrate court had ignored the material available on record and proceeded on the basis of an inquiry conducted by police.

“Amar Singh slapped me and threatened to kill my family in case he did not change his statement given before police in the cash-for-vote scam…Amar Singh illegally confined me in his house for nearly four hours,” said Ali’s application.

Ali said in his complaint that Sep 25, 2008, when he was to record his testimony before a parliamentary inquiry committee, constituted to probe the scam, he was abducted by co-accused Tarun and Ramesh and was taken to the Lodhi Estate bungalow of Amar Singh.

The scam is linked to the developments July 22, 2008 when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste, Mahavir Bhagora and Ashok Argal waved wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha ahead of a trust vote, alleging they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government.