Rajasthan police officer denied bail in Dara Singh killing

Jaipur, Aug 22 (IANS) A court here Wednesday rejected the bail application of A.K. Jain, the suspended additional director general of police (ADGP) who was arrested in March for the killing of criminal Dara Singh, in an alleged staged shootout, a lawyer said.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel Sarfaraz Haider Khan said that the court of the Jaipur district judge denied bail to Jain.

Jain had sought bail on the grounds that Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) legislator Rajendra Singh Rathore, also an accused, had been discharged in the case by a court, the lawyer said.

Jain surrendered before a court in Rajasthan in March, nine months after he disappeared fearing arrest.

The officer was a proclaimed offender in the case. Dara Singh was gunned down by a team of the state police's Special Operations Group (SOG) on the outskirts of Jaipur Oct 23, 2006.

The CBI had alleged in its charge sheet that Jain acted at the behest of BJP legislator Rathore.

Another IPS officer accused in the case, Inspector General of Police A. Ponnuchami, was arrested in May last year.

Apart from Jain and Ponnuchami, the CBI also arrested 13 policemen, including Additional Superintendent of Police Arshad Ali, in connection with the case.