New Delhi, Sep 28 Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former aide of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, was Tuesday sent to judicial custody till Oct 1 in connection with the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal, while the order on former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's bail plea was reserved for Wednesday.
Kulkarni, who appeared before Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal after repeatedly failing to do so Sep 6 and Sep 19 on the ground that he was in the US, was sent to Tihar Jail.
He had applied for interim bail, which was rejected.
Speaking to mediapersons outside the Tis Hazari court complex before his appearance in the court, Kulkarni had said he was a whistleblower and his attempt was to expose corruption.
"The charge against me is false and politically motivated. My role in the entire matter was that of a whistle blower.
"Along with my associates, three BJP MPs and Suhail Hindustani, I attempted to expose the purchase of MPs for securing victory in the confidence vote that the then government was seeking in Lok Sabha (in July 2008)," Kulkarni told the reporters.
"I am not running away from anyone. I am ready to go to jail if exposing corruption is a crime," he said.
Reacting to the development, the BJP said action had been taken against whistleblowers, but not against those who have benefited in the 2008 cash-for-votes incident.
"The beneficiaries are remaining quiet and away from any investigation and that's what is the greatest concern. This investigation is missing out on those who benefitted from this scandal," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
BJP general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "The Delhi Police did not undertake any investigation for three years. In spite of Supreme Court rap, they did a very bad job and every attempt was made to shield the real culprits. Every time the whistle-blowers are subjugated and put in jail."
Meanwhile, the court also reserved its order on bail plea of former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh for Wednesday.
The Rajya Sabha MP, admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for a kidney related ailment, had been granted interim bail till Tuesday.
Extending his interim bail till Wednesday, Special Judge Sehgal also dismissed his application to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Appearing for Amar Singh, senior advocate Hariharan said the 55-year-old leader is not well and is suffering from various ailments.
"He has also developed severe abdominal pain and is prone to infection as he had undergone renal transplant," the counsel said while reading his medical report from AIIMS.
He said Amar Singh could seek treatment in private hospitals in India and abroad if given bail.
However, the court countered his point by saying his condition can be monitored in AIIMS as well.
On July 22, 2008, three BJP MPs waved wads of currency notes on the floor of the Lok Sabha ahead of a trust vote, alleging they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government. A case was registered in 2009 on the recommendation of a parliamentary panel that probed the scandal.