High Court extends anticipatory bail of Independent MLA & Former Chief Secretary
Himachal Pradesh High Court today extended anticipatory bail of Independent members of assembly Ashish Sharma and Rakesh Sharma, the former chief secretary of Uttrakhand and father of Congress disqualified MLAs Chaytenya Sharma till April 26.
The bail application was fixed for hearing before the single-judge bench of Justice Ranjan Sharma for confirmation today.
Advocate General Anup Rattan informed that the state opposed the confirmation of bail in the case of horse-trading and influencing the Rajyasabha election. The counsel of state informed the court that bail should not be extended as one of the accused Rakesh Sharma is cooperating in the police preliminary investigation.
The state stated in the court that Mr Sharma threatened the IO of the case that he is a former bureaucrat and would commit suicide if police went ahead with the investigation. The father of Congress disqualified MLAs also being accused of mounting pressure on the IO that the state government would be toppled within two months.
Anup Rattan stated that the duo also filed another petition before the Himachal Pradesh High Court seeking quashing of FIR against them and a hearing was fixed before the high court in both matters on April 26 now.
The High Court has directed the state to fill the status report in the matter of investigation in the FIRs and directed both the bail applicants to appear before the SIT constituted by state police against them in the horse-trading case.
The court also ordered the state to file a reply in the matter of quashing the FIR and clubbed the matter with the case of anticipatory bail application.
Congress government and making arrangements for the stay of MLAs in five to seven-star hotels and helping in taking the rebel MLAs by helicopter. The duo were granted anticipatory bail by the Himachal Pradesh High Court last month.
The Father of rebel Congress MLA Rakesh Sharma and the independent MLA have been accused of influencing the Rajya Sabha elections unfairly. The complainants have accused both of them of buying and selling votes, bribery, and money transactions. The complaint states that the accused conspired to topple the government.