New Delhi:
Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh spent last night at AIIMS, not Tihar Jail. He was rushed to hospital after a health check-up on Monday night determined that his creatinine levels had risen. Today, court will decide whether Mr Singh should be given bail on medical grounds.
A Bahujan Samaj Party MP, Dhananjay Singh, who visited Mr Singh at his private ward in AIIMS, claimed doctors had told him that Amar Singh was "critical." Tihar Jail spokesman Sunil Gupta said last night, "Since his creatinine level was high, we decided to shift him to AIIMS." Mr Singh is being attended upon by Dr S Gupta, head of the Nephrology Department of AIIMS.
Creatinine is a chemical waste molecule filtered out by the kidneys. Abnormally high levels of creatinine could indicate possible malfunction or even failure of the kidneys.
Delhi Police has named Amar Singh as a key conspirator in the 2008 cash-for-votes case. Mr Singh was arrested on September 6 for allegedly bribing three BJP MPs to support the Manmohan Singh government during a trust vote in July 2008.
Last week, after a court ordered his immediate arrest and incarceration, the former Samajwadi Party leader had appealed for bail on health grounds claiming that since he had recently undergone a kidney transplant, he was unfit to be lodged in jail. The court will hear that bail plea today and a fresh medical report from AIIMS is expected to be presented before the judge.
On Monday, Tihar jail authorities, quoting a report on Amar Singh's medical status, had told the special court that the politician's health parameters were "stable and normal".
Amar Singh has been living in ward number 4 of Tihar's jail number 3 for almost a week now. The ward has 20 cells, each measuring 22x8 feet. Each cell has its own separate toilet and bathroom. Mr Singh has pleaded that being in Tihar Jail makes him vulnerable to infection. Last week, the judge hearing his case was not satisfied with the documents submitted by his lawyers, and had asked for complete medical records.
In court yesterday, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani, arguing for Amar Singh's bail, said that the BJP had arranged for the cash that its three MPs wave in Parliament just before the trust vote. Speaking to reporters Mr Jethmalani said, "One of the accused (BJP MPs) has sent a certificate to this effect in his bail plea. This is what he has said." Speaking for his client he added, "It is not mentioned in the chargesheet that he (Singh) has given the money."