Court seeks reply on Upendra Rai’s bail plea

A Delhi court has directed the CBI to file a reply to the bail plea of journalist Upendra Rai in a case of allegedly using false information to gain access to airports across India.

Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann directed the probe agency to file the reply by May 18. Mr. Rai, in his bail application, submitted that no purpose would be served by keeping him in further custody

The other accused in the case are Air One Aviation Private Limited, its chief security officer Prasun Roy and unknown Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) officials. At the time of his arrest, the agency had alleged that besides property papers and a valid Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP), some confidential documents were also seized.

It was alleged that Mr. Rai had applied for AEP in January 2017, as a consultant of Air One, falsely showing himself as a permanent company employee. Air One sponsored his name and forwarded the application to the BCAS, which in turn sent it to DIAL without verifying the genuineness of Mr. Rai’s employee status, the probe further stated.

Accordingly, DIAL issued a 90-day AEP allowing Mr. Rai access to the Delhi airport. The pass was renewed twice, after which a permanent pass with validity till December 31, 2018, was granted, the investigating agency said.