Former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, a prosecution witness in the railway bribery case, Tuesday failed to appear in court due to his ill health. The court directed him to appear before it Sep 22 and warned that it will not entertain any exemption application that day.Bansal's counsel Puneet Ahluwalia told Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma that the former minister was suffering from viral fever and thus would be unable to depose as a witness. Bansal was summoned by the court Aug 25 for testifying as a CBI witness in the Rs.10 crore railway bribery case against his nephew Vijay Singla.His counsel requested the court to grant him exemption Tuesday and give him another date for deposing as a witness. The court allowed the plea and directed Bansal to appear Sep 22 positively and said it will not allow a plea for exemption on the next date. The court Monday began recording the statements of prosecution witnesses in the case against Singla and nine other accused.The court in March had framed charges of criminal conspiracy under the Prevention of Corruption Act against all 10 accused.The other accused in the "cash-for-post" case are suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, middlemen Sandeep Goyal, Samir Sandhir, Sushil Daga, Ajay Garg, Rahul Yadav, businessman Manjunath and his aides M.V. Murli Krishan and Venugopal.
The CBI filed a list of 90 prosecution witnesses along with the chargesheet and named Bansal as a witness in the case.Bansal had resigned as railway minister after the scam was reported.Manjunath and Goyal had allegedly helped Mahesh Kumar in arranging money to give bribe to Singla and were to get favours from Mahesh Kumar after his appointment as Railway Board member (electrical), the CBI said in its chargesheet.Singla allegedly demanded Rs.10 crore and accepted a bribe of Rs.90 lakh from Mahesh Kumar in his office May 3, 2013, the CBI said.