'No possibility of bail for Ansals at the moment'

Utkarsh Anand Posted: Sep 12, 2008 at 0918 hrs
New Delhi, September 12: The Supreme Court’s stand on the conduct of the Ansal brothers during the Uphaar trial means serious trouble for the two, their counsel Ramesh Gupta said on Thursday.

Both brothers were “shocked”, sources said when the apex court cancelled their bail on Wednesday. While noting they were fighting charges of tampering with evidence, the court had observed that the conduct of the accused was crucial to decide whether they deserved bail, even though their offence might have been bailable.

Ramesh Gupta told Newsline: “The Supreme Court’s decision is too stern. At the moment, I don’t see any possibility of bail. When the highest court takes a stand, one cannot expect a lower court to differ.”

CBI counsel Y K Saxena, who has represented the state in this legal fight, agreed with the defence counsel.

He said: “The apex court’s decision is final. Ansals should now forget about bail till the appeal is decided by the High Court, which has also been directed to expedite the matter.” Well-known criminal lawyer R K Naseem said only the Supreme Court can now decide on their bail. He said: “The law is clear. The apex court has cancelled their bail. Only the highest court can now hear any further applications for bail.”

However, Ramesh Gupta said if there was “material change” in the circumstances, they could pursue relief on that ground.