Jaitley may be examined as cash-for-vote witness

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley may be examined by the Delhi police as a prosecution witness to ascertain whether BJP was aware that its three MPs were approached to influence voting in the 2008 trust vote, a local court was told on Friday.

"We have examined Arun Jaitley and there is note in the police case diary about it. We have given his statement in the charge sheet. When the trial would begin, we might need to call Arun Jaitley in the witness box, if needed," Public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan told Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal.

Opposing the bail pleas of BJP leader L K Advani's former close aide Sudheendra Kulkarni and two former BJP MP Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora in 2008 cash-for-vote case, Mohan said their alleged failure to inform senior party office bearers immediately after receiving Rs 1 crore money, raises doubt about the sting operation.

"If you (accused) were the whistle blowers, why you did not expose at the best available occasion? Why did you not inform your senior party officials after receiving money? Did they inform any senior party member that, yes, we have been offered money?"

"There is no such statement by senior party leaders of BJP that Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh (co-accused) offered Rs 3 crore each to their three MPs," the prosecutor said.

He said that the BJP MPs Kulaste, Bhagora and Ashok Argal received Rs 1 crore at 11 am on July 22, 2008 but they did not inform any law enforcing agency and waited till 4 pm as they were expecting remaining Rs 8 crore to be delivered to them.