The Delhi High Court granted a six-week interim bail on medical grounds to Amit Katyal, a close aide of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged land-for-jobs scam in the Indian Railways.

Katyal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 11, 2023, under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), argued that he needed further treatment and care following bariatric surgery, which was not available in Tihar jail.

While granting his interim bail, a vacation bench of Justice Dharmesh Sharma noted that Katyal's dietary requirements, essential for his post-bariatric surgery recovery, could not be met within the jail premises. The judge emphasized that Katyal needs a proper diet to achieve adequate physical, mental, and psychological well-being.

"The level of care, attention, minute-to-minute monitoring and emergency response which the applicant requires, cannot be provided at the jail presently. There is no gainsaying that providing home cooked food on an every day basis for a long duration is fraught with several technical hurdles at the jail premises," said the court.

"This court is inclined to allow the application for interim bail on medical grounds for a period of six weeks from the date of his release from jail," the court ordered.

The court further noted that a charge sheet has been filed against the accused, who had previously been released on interim bail for about 84 days without any allegations of influencing the investigation.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) contended that the petitioner had been granted interim bail on medical grounds for nearly 84 days earlier and should not repeatedly seek bail on similar grounds. The ED suggested that if a special diet was necessary, it could be provided through home-cooked food brought to the jail premises.

The probe agency has alleged that Katyal had acquired land from several railway job aspirants on behalf of RJD chief and former railway minister Lalu Prasad. The ED claimed that Katyal, as the director of a company named AK Infosystems Private Limited, had obtained land from candidates “on behalf” of Lalu Prasad. Other members of the RJD leader's family are also accused in the case.