Court refuses bail to scribe

A Delhi court on Friday refused to grant bail to journalist Upendra Rai, who was arrested for allegedly using fake information to gain access to airports across India.

Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann denied bail to Mr. Rai, saying that investigation was at the initial stage.

Seeking bail, the counsel for Mr. Rai submitted that no purpose would be served by keeping him in custody.

CBI opposed bail

Opposing the bail application, the counsel for the CBI submitted that the journalist could tamper with evidence if granted bail.

Other accused

The other accused in the case are Air One Aviation Private Limited, its chief security officer Prasun Roy and some unidentified Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) officials.

At the time of Mr. Rai’s arrest, the agency had said that besides property papers and a valid Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP), some confidential documents were seized.

Allegations

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 employee of the company.

Air One sponsored his name and forwarded the application to the BCAS, which in turn sent it to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) without verification, the probe stated. Accordingly, DIAL had issued a 90-day AEP granting 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.