New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS): Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former aide of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, was Tuesday sent to judicial custody till Oct 1 in connection with the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal.
Kulkarni, who appeared before Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal after repeatedly failing to do so Sep 6 and Sep 19 on the ground that he was in the US, was sent to Tihar jail.
He had applied for interim bail, which was rejected.
The court had on Sep 19 warned Kulkarni's counsel that if he failed to appear on the next date, the court would issue an arrest warrant against him.
Speaking to media persons outside the Tis Hazari court complex before his appearance in the court, Kulkarni had said he was a whistleblower and his attempt was to expose corruption.
"The charge against me is false and politically motivated. My role in the entire matter was that of a whistle blower.
"Along with my associates, three BJP MPs and Suhail Hindustani, I attempted to expose the purchase of MPs for securing victory in the confidence vote that the then government was seeking in Lok Sabha (in July 2008)," Kularni told the reporters.
He also said that he has "nothing to hide". "I am not running away from anyone," he added.
"I am ready to go to jail if exposing corruption is a crime," he said.