Amar Singh allowed to go abroad for treatment

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, facing prosecution for his alleged role in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam, was allowed today by a Delhi court to go abroad for treatment of his kidney ailment.

Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal allowed Singh to go to Singapore from November 8 to November 30, stipulating that he would furnish a surety bond of Rs 5 lakh before going abroad. Singh had moved court early this week for its permission to go abroad.

In his application, the former Samajwadi Party leader had said he has been undergoing treatment at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital following his kidney transplant and he needs to go there for regular check-up. Singh, who was undergoing treatment under judicial custody at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on October 24 on "humanitarian grounds" in view of his "critical" condition.

The high court, while granting bail to Singh, had said that he would not leave the country without prior permission of the lower court. Singh, 55, was admitted to the AIIMS on September 12 after his health condition deteriorated in Tihar Jail following his arrest in the case on September 6. He was discharged from the AIIMS on October 30.

Two others facing prosecution in the case are BJP leader L K Advani's former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, former BJP MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora, besides political activist Suhail Hindustani and Amar Singh's former aide Sanjeev Saxena, who are presently lodged in Tihar Jail.