New Delhi: Citing the case of former Goldman
Sachs director Rajat Gupta in the US, Congress leader Digvijay
Singh on Friday made a strong pitch for release on bail of all
accused who have been chargesheeted after completion of probe.
Singh`s assertion came in the backdrop of former Telecom
Minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and Congress MP Suresh
Kalmadi languishing behind bars in corruption cases like 2G
and Commonwealth Games, but the AICC general secretary
stressed he was not taking any names.
"Good to know Rajat Gupta got bail. Would our Judiciary
also take a cue and not keep under trials in lock up once they
are charge sheeted," Singh said in his post on micro-blogging
site Twitter.
Gupta, who was arrested on charges of passing insider
information to his billionaire friend Raj Rajaratnam, was
released on USD 10 million bond after he pleaded not guilty to
offences that carry a potential penalty of 105 years in
prison.
Later talking to agency over phone, Singh, quoting Justice V
R Krishna Aiyar, former Supreme Court judge, said "every
accused has the right to get a bail, until he is convicted".
Singh said, "Once a person is chargesheeted and the
investigation in the particular case is completed, every
accused has a right to get bail as a principle...I think this
is something, our judiciary should take into consideration."
Stressing that he was not taking any names and this does
not concern one particular issue or person, he said, "There
are hundreds of undertrials languishing in jails in every part
of the country in absence of bails."
Without making reference to any particular case, he said
that the "basic issue is, if someone has not been convicted
then it is not legally right to keep him in jail for long
time".
When pointed out that even Kalmadi is in jail though he
has already been chargesheeted, Singh merely said that he has
"prayed to God that he (Kalmadi) can prove himself innocent".
PTI
