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The Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday rejected the regular bail plea of Delhi Police Inspector Pradeep Kumar Singh, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an alleged Rs 3 crore bribery case linked to the manipulation of an ongoing investigation into a fake medicines case.
Pradeep Kumar Singh was posted with the Delhi Police Crime Branch at the time of his arrest. The CBI has also arrested IPS officer Deepak Gahlawat in connection with the case. Special Judge (CBI) Sushant Changotra of the Rouse Avenue Court rejected Singh's bail plea, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the early stage of the investigation. "Considering the seriousness of the role attributed to the applicant, the gravity of accusations and the stage of investigation, I do not deem it appropriate to grant bail to the accused Pradeep Singh at this stage. Accordingly, the present regular bail application is dismissed," the court said in its order dated July 14. The court also dismissed Singh's interim bail application. Senior Advocate Avi Singh, along with advocates Bharat Monga, Arvind Malik and Tanvi Anand, appeared for Pradeep Kumar Singh, while Public Prosecutors Lalit Mohan and Sandeep Kumar represented the CBI. The defence argued that the investigating agency could not rely solely on the disclosure statements of co-accused to implicate Singh. It further contended that the CBI had changed its version regarding the recovery of Rs 24.70 lakh. Initially, the agency alleged that co-accused Rajkumar was caught while delivering the money to Singh, but later claimed that both had received the amount from hawala couriers who were not apprehended. The defence also submitted that the recovery of Rs 40 lakh from Singh's residence represented his legitimate money and denied the CBI's allegation that Rs 25 lakh formed part of the alleged bribe amount. It further argued that the prosecution's claim that Singh handed over Rs 50 lakh to co-accused Prabhat Kapoor on June 8, 2026, was contradictory, as Singh had allegedly been apprehended in Chandni Chowk at around 7:30 pm on the same day. The defence highlighted that Singh has served as a Delhi Police Inspector for about 17 years with an unblemished service record. It also informed the court that he has been in custody since June 8, 2026, and has family responsibilities, including two minor children and a brother with 80 per cent disability. Opposing the bail plea, the CBI argued that the allegations were extremely serious. According to the agency, the case pertains to the alleged manipulation of an investigation involving offences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against N Raja and others, which had been transferred from Puducherry to the CBI's Delhi unit. The CBI alleged that Singh, along with other accused, assured favourable relief to N Raja alias Valliappan alias Rajashekhar through the influence of a senior public servant in exchange for a total consideration of Rs 3 crore. According to the prosecution, Singh, N Raja, Rajkumar and Prabhat Kapoor met IPS officer Deepak Gahlawat at his office in the Directorate of Civil Aviation on May 14, 2026. The CBI alleged that an advance payment of Rs 1 crore was received from Chennai through hawala channels. It further claimed that Rs 24.70 lakh was recovered from Singh and Rajkumar on June 8 in the presence of independent witnesses, while another Rs 25 lakh was recovered from Singh's residence. The agency also alleged that Singh had collected the remaining Rs 50 lakh and handed it over to co-accused Prabhat Kapoor. (ANI)
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