The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested lobbyist Deepak Talwar after a special court in New Delhi denied him anticipatory bail in an aviation scam case, PTI reported. The CBI arrested Talwar inside the courtroom after Special Judge Anil Kumar Sisodia dismissed his petition.
The court later sent Talwar to seven-day CBI custody. The central agency had sought 14-day custody of Talwar.
Talwar is presently in Tihar Jail in a money laundering case related to the scam. He had allegedly played a role in some dubious aviation deals during the term of the United Progressive Alliance government. The prosecution has alleged that Talwar acted as a middleman to favour foreign private airlines, thus causing a loss to Air India, the national carrier.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have booked the lobbyist for corruption, while the Income Tax department has accused him of tax evasion. He has been in custody since he was extradited from Dubai in January.
Talwar’s counsel, Tanveer Ahmed Mir, told the court that the arrest memo against the lobbyist was in violation of the mandatory guidelines ahead of arrest. “No report has been put on record,” he said, according to IANS.
“Talwar is medically ill,” Mir added. “He is a diabetic and is a victim of bypass surgery. He should be permitted to meet a lawyer and his family if custody is granted.”
In May, a court had cancelled the non-bailable arrest warrant against Talwar’s son Aditya Talwar in the case. Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in June for questioning related to the scam.
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