A petition begun by defence veterans on Change.org and addressed to the President and Prime Minister demands the release of former air force chief SP Tyagi, who was arrested in the AgustaWestland scam.
The petition alleges that Tyagi has been “condemned to prison without a conclusive inquiry or trial" and calls the powers that be not to play politics with the armed forces.
Tyagi, along with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly receiving kickbacks for facilitating the Rs 3,600-crore deal to buy 12 helicopters for Indian VVIPs.
The petition reads:
It is absurd, to say the least, that a distinguished fighter pilot who has fought two wars for this country and led the Indian Air Force is being condemned to prison without a conclusive inquiry or trial.
The Patiala House Court on Saturday remanded Tyagi and the two other suspects to judicial custody till 30 December.
The petition states that the case against SP Tyagi is “built around evidence that originates entirely in Italy” and the Italian Supreme Court has called for a retrial in the case. So, the petition says, the Indian government should take immediate steps to release Tyagi on bail.
Read the petition here.
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