Cash-for-votes: Kulkarni moves HC for bail

New Delhi: Sudheendra Kulkarni, former aide of BJP leader LK Advani and an accused in cash-for-vote case, on Saturday moved the Delhi High Court against refusal of bail to him by the trial court.

Besides, Kulkarni, former BJP MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora also approached High Court challenging the verdict of the trial court dismissing their bail pleas.

Kulkarni, who is in jail since September 27, has challenged the trial court's rejection of his bail plea saying he was the "guiding star" and "facilitator" of the "conspiracy aimed at mocking" the Republic of India.

In the petition filed through advocate Mahipal Ahluwalia, Kulkarni said he, along with the BJP MPs, got involved in the sting operation, conducted by a private news channel only to expose the "horse trading" that was going on to save the then UPA-I government in the vote of trust in the Lok Sabha on July

22, 2008.

Claiming themselves to be "whistleblowers" who helped in exposing the corruption to save the government, they pleaded the trial court had wrongly dismissed their plea for bail and that order should be set aside.