Seven out of nine accused get bail

Apart from asking them to deposit a surety of Rs 5 lakh each, the court has ordered the accused to report to the CBI office, twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Relife: IAS officer Pradeep Vyas, the accused in the Adarsh society scam, was granted bail by the special court yesterday. PIC/Suresh KK

The seven men, who secured bail, have been identified as IAS officer Pradeep Vyas, former deputy secretary of Urban Development Department P V Deshmukh, Brigadier (retd) M M Wanchoo, retired Defence Estates Officer R C Thakur, Major Gen (retd) A R Kumar, Major Gen (retd) T K Kaul and former MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani.

Last year, an FIR was registered against all the nine accused. They had been charged with criminal conspiracy under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act and Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act.

Citing that the CBI had failed to chargesheet the accused, within the stipulated time frame of 60 days, their lawyers sought bail. Objecting to their bail pleas, the CBI argued that the agency intended to add tougher sections of the IPC, including sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 467 (forgery) against the accused.

Moreover, the CBI has also collected signature samples of all the nine accused, which have been dispatched to the forensic lab in Kalina. Currently, the agency is trying to collect evidence to prove that the accused can be charged under sections 409 and 467 of the IPC.u00a0