Land-for-job case: Delhi court grants 4-week interim bail to bizman Amit Katyal

Katyal, promoter of AK Infosystems, was arrested in November last year by the central probe agency. 

On Monday, he appeared before Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court, who allowed his application seeking bail for medical treatment. 

The judge allowed him to receive treatment in a hospital within Delhi NCR, and directed him to furnish the details of the hospital and treatment obtained on his surrender before the jail authorities upon the expiry of interim bail. 

The judge also asked the accused to furnish a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and two sureties of the like amount. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on January 30 informed the court that it will file a supplementary charge sheet within a month in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam. 

Before Judge Gogne, the agency had assured that the final report would be submitted by the end of February. 

Recently, the court had issued summons to Lalu Prasad's wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, her daughters, and others in the money laundering case, asking them to physically appear in the court on February 9. 

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently filed its first charge sheet in connection with the case of which the court took cognisance. 

The court had directed the individuals named in the charge sheet to appear in the court, saying there were sufficient grounds to proceed in the matter. 

Meanwhile, Katyal has been alleged of acquiring several lands from aspirants on behalf of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief and former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. 

He was first detained and later arrested by the financial probe agency on November 11 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). 

Katyal's premises in upscale south Delhi's New Friends Colony was declared as an office of AK Infosystems but was allegedly being used by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as residential premises.

The ED on July 31, 2023, attached six immovable assets having a value of Rs 6.02 crore belonging to RJD leaders Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti (daughter of Lalu Yadav), Vineet Yadav (husband of Lalu's daughter Hema Yadav), Shiv Kumar Yadav (father-in-law of Hema Yadav), AB Exports Pvt Ltd and AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd., both companies owned and controlled by family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the Railway job for land scam. 

The Delhi High Court had earlier declined to provide relief to Katyal seeking a copy of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in a money laundering case, saying that it cannot impede the investigative process of the ED at the stage of summons issuance under the PMLA. 

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had dismissed Katyal's plea. 

Katyal had sought the quashing of the ECIR and a summon issued by the ED. He wanted to prevent the probe agency from taking any coercive action against him, including further investigation in the money laundering case.