Jaitley meets Rathore in jail, accuses Cong of misusing CBI

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In a show of solidarity, BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Monday met jailed Rajasthan MLA Rajendra Rathore, an accused in Dara Singh fake encounter killing case, and said the party would help him fight his legal battle, while accusing Congress of using CBI to serve its political agenda.

The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, who accompanied by several BJP MLAs met Rathore at Jaipur Central Jail here, said the party stands by Rathore whose arrest had no strong ground and slammed the CBI charge sheet.

"As a student of law, I read papers of Rathore's case but did not find the facts substantial. A fictional story can be written better than the charge sheet filed by CBI in this case," he said while addressing party workers at BJP state headquarters here after meeting Rathore.

"If a citizen has to lose liberty on the basis of wrong facts, it is shameful. We can say that there is no rule of law in the country if the CBI can file such a charge sheet," he said, adding that the party would continue its protests against the arrest.

"The law will take its course if our worker has committed something wrong, but if he is arrested only because he is from BJP, the entire party is with him," Jaitley said.

Jaitely said that the CBI is a "tool for Congress for carrying out its political agenda. But we will fight."

He said that SP and BSP support the UPA government because their heads fear action against them in corruption cases lodged against them with the CBI.

"In fact, CBI functions to save the UPA government," Jaitely said, alleging that the party leaders in Gujarat were also being harassed by investigation agencies.

56-year-old Rathore, a five-time MLA and state BJP whip, was arrested by the CBI on April 5 for his alleged involvement in the fake encounter killing of local liquor smuggler Dara Singh in 2006.

Jaitley was accompanied by party MLAs Digambar Singh, Gyan Dev Ahuja, Radheyshyam Ganganagar and others when he met Rathore.

"I came here to meet our party worker (Rathore). The party's national president also said that I should go and meet him. I hope that Rathore would be back in active politics soon," the BJP leader said.

Meanwhile, a special CBI court extended the judicial custody of Rathore till April 24 and reserved its ruling on taking cognisance of the charge-sheet against him.

Rathore alleged that he was being implicated falsely in the case at the behest of the Congress government. He claimed that he was not even remotely concerned with Dara Singh, who was allegedly killed by special operation group on the outskirts of Jaipur on October 23, 2006.

He said he is innocent and the court must do justice with him. He also brought to the notice of the court that despite its order, he has not been provided amenities like bed, bed-sheets, pillows, fan and home-made food.