The Patiala House Court bench hearing the bail pleas of former air force chief SP Tyagi, Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based advocate Gautam Khaitan in the VVIP chopper scam case on Friday said it will pronounce its order on 26 December.
Earlier, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued against SP Tyagi’s bail plea, adding that the investigation is at a very crucial stage and hence, too much information could not be shared with the court.
He added that they would like to share some evidence only with the court so as to not give away the line of investigation. He also said that people involved in the scam are high-ranking officials and also people from a different country.
Upon being asked on how long will it take for the investigation to be completed, Mehtra said that the chargesheet can be filed in 60-90 days.
In Italy, a person guilty of corruption has already been convicted, CBI’s counsel said.
In defence, SP Tyagi’s lawyer said that according to the CBI, Tyagi is guilty of non-cooperation because he is not incriminating himself. She said, “The CBI’s understanding of cooperation is patently contradictory with the Constitution’s understanding.”
Earlier, former IAF chief SP Tyagi sought bail from a Delhi court on Friday, who has been under arrest since 9 December in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper scam.
Earlier, the Patiala House Court postponed hearing on the bail plea because CBI had told the court it needed time to present the case as it had to obtain large volumes of information to interrogate Tyagi and the two other accused.
The court heard the arguments from the counsel of Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan, all three accused in the case, and adjourned the matter after the probe agency said it needed time to argue on the bail pleas.
While seeking relief, Tyagi’s advocate, Maneka Guruswamy, said: “My client cannot languish in jail for an indefinite period for no reason. He has voluntarily cooperated to the best of his abilities. My client has appeared on every date (when he was) summoned by CBI and even without the summons. All evidence are documentary in nature and already in the custody of CBI.”
On 17 December, the former Air Chief along with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan were sent to jail till 30 December.
The case relates to procurement of 12 VVIP choppers from UK-based firm during the UPA-2 regime.
The CBI had said it was a "very serious" and "a very high-profile" case requiring interrogation to unearth larger conspiracy as the "interest of the nation was compromised". It had submitted that "one part of the crime was committed in India while various other angles are in foreign land."
Tyagi's counsel had earlier claimed that the decision to procure VVIP choppers from AgustaWestland was a "collective" one and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was also a part of it.
CBI had alleged that Tyagi had “abused his official position” and when he was the Air Chief Marshal, he had made huge investments in land and other properties and had not disclosed the source his income.
It was also alleged that Khaitan was the "brain" behind how the bribe money reached India and how several firms – through which the money travelled – came into existence, while Sanjeev was known to the alleged European middleman Carlo Gerosa.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)