AgustaWestland scam: SP Tyagi gets bail but cannot leave Delhi

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to former chief of the Indian Air Force S.P. Tyagi in the multi-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal scam. The court, however, directed the former Air Chief Marshal not to leave Delhi and the National Capital Region or tamper with evidence in the high-profile case.

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar granted the bail to Mr Tyagi on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and one surety of the same amount. The bail applications of other two accused - Mr Tyagi’s cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan - are pending before the court, which said it would decide on the two pleas on January 4.

During the hearing of the bail plea, Mr Tyagi’s advocate Maneka Guruswamy had said that her client “could not be deprived of freedom if the investigation is taking time to complete”. She had claimed that ever since the registration of the FIR four years ago, the CBI has not been able to confront Mr Tyagi with any incriminating evidence to date.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, had opposed the bail pleas, saying if set free, the accused might influence the witnesses and hamper the “multi-layered probe by various agencies in more than one jurisdictions involving several countries”.

“We have evidence where the meetings unofficially took place for the purpose of crime. At this stage, please do not entertain their bail pleas. Let the probe be completed,” he said, seeking dismissal of the bail pleas of all the three accused. He added that the case has “tarnished (the) country’s name”.

On the court’s query whether the CBI had any material supporting the claim that Mr Tyagi had received the money, the agency said that the former IAF chief had purchased several properties for which the source of income were not disclosed and the official position held by Mr Tyagi faced “abuse”.

Advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey, counsel for Mr Khaitan, too, had countered the CBI’s argument, claiming that the agency was trying to sensationalise the matter and there was no allegation that his client did not join the probe or that he ever tried to influence the case. Sanjeev Tyagi’s counsel Manav Gupta also opposed the CBI’s contention saying there was no reason to claim that, if granted bail, his client would hamper the probe.

The accused sought bail on the grounds that the evidence was documentary in nature and had already been seized by the CBI with which they have been cooperating.