The Delhi High Court has declined to cancel the interim bail granted to Amit Katyal, an associate of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, in connection with the land-for-jobs scam involving the Indian Railways. Despite objections from the Enforcement Directorate, citing medical grounds, the court upheld the four-week interim bail, with further proceedings pending in the trial court. Katyal, accused of acquiring land from job aspirants for Lalu Prasad,
NEW DELHI: On Tuesday (19th March): The Delhi High Court declined to cancel the four-week interim bail to Amit Katyal, a close associate of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, citing medical reasons in a money laundering case connected to the purported land-for-jobs scam within the Indian Railway.
READ ALSO: [BREAKING] “Land-for-Jobs” Scam: Court Grants CBI “Two Weeks” Time To Submit Charge Sheet
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, presiding over the case, highlighted that Katyal’s appeal for an extension of interim bail is currently under consideration by the trial court.
“In these peculiar facts and circumstances, this Court does not find it fit to cancel the interim bail of four weeks granted to the respondent vide impugned order dated 05.02.2024,” Justice Sharma said.
“However, this court was informed during arguments that an application seeking an extension of interim bail, filed on behalf of the respondent, is pending before the learned Trial Court. If such be the case, the Directorate of Enforcement shall be at liberty to raise before the learned Trial Court, the issue regarding the subsequent medical opinion obtained from RML Hospital qua the medical condition of the applicant,” the court said in the order.
Katyal was released from judicial custody on February 6, subsequent to the granting of interim bail a day prior. The petition contesting this relief was lodged by the ED just as the four-week term approached its conclusion. Justice Sharma, considering the circumstances, deemed it inappropriate to annul the interim bail granted to Katyal.
READ ALSO: CBI Files Supplementary Charge Sheet Before Delhi Court in Land-For-Job Scam
During the proceedings, the ED argued that, according to doctors at RML Hospital, Katyal’s medical condition could be managed in government healthcare facilities with proper treatment and medication. The court noted that the initial grant of interim bail was based solely on medical reports from the medical officer at Tihar jail, highlighting Katyal’s coronary artery disease, morbid obesity, and related complications.
However, the court acknowledged that Katyal had filed an application seeking an extension of interim bail, pending before the trial court. In response, the court directed the ED to raise any concerns regarding subsequent medical assessments from RML Hospital in the appropriate forum.
READ ALSO: Lalu Yadav’s Wife Rabri Devi and Daughters Granted Bail in Land-for-Jobs Case
Katyal was arrested by the ED on November 11, 2023, under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency alleges that Katyal procured land from multiple job applicants on behalf of Lalu Prasad, the former railway minister and RJD chief. According to the ED, Katyal served as the director of AK Infosystems Private Limited, a company implicated in acquiring land for Lalu Prasad. Several other members of the RJD leader’s family are also implicated in the case.
