Land grabbing case: Court grants bail to AAP MLA Manoj Kumar

New Delhi: AAP MLA Manoj Kumar was on Monday granted bail in a case of alleged cheating and land-grabbing by a Delhi court which directed him not to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses.

Additional Sessions Judge Raghubir Singh released Kumar on bail on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of like amount.

The court said the MLA has already stayed in police custody for four days and neither the investigators have sought his further custody nor they intend to do so.

"The documents in question ... has already been obtained by the investigating agency. Hence in the given eventuality, the accused applicant is hereby ordered to be admitted on bail ... with the conditions to the effect that accused should not leave the NCT of Delhi without seeking prior permission of the court concerned.

"He shall make himself available for investigation as and when called for and shall not try to contact or influence the witnesses. Accused/applicant shall also refrain himself from tampering with or attempting to tamper with the evidence," the court said.

Kumar had approached the sessions court after his bail plea was dismissed by a magisterial court on July 16.

Advocate Arun Sharma, appearing for Kumar, sought bail claiming that his client has been falsely implicated in the case due to political reasons and as he was a sitting MLA, there was no chance of his absconding from justice.

Kumar's bail plea, however, was opposed by Special Public Prosecutor Anupam S Sharma who argued that the legislator being an influential peron may affect the course of investigation if released on bail.

The AAP leader was arrested on July 9 for allegedly selling a plot for Rs six lakh in November 2012 to complainant Vinod, who later got to know that he did not own the land.

During arguments, the prosecutor said on November 7, 2012, Kumar, while entering into the sale agreement with the complainant regarding the land in village Gharoli extension here, had represented himself to be the owner of the property.

He said one Chandrakala was the owner of the land and as per the CFSL report, the seal of notary public on the 2012 agreement appeared to be forged.

The court had on July 14, sent Kumar to judicial custody till July 25.