NEW DELHI: Stating that he was trying to "expose horse trading", Suhail Hindustani, accused in the cash-for-vote scam, on Friday claimed innocence before a trial court and said he should instead be made a witness in the case.

"The complainant in this case should have been the three BJP MPs as they showed the courage to wave the money paid to them in Parliament. Ashok Argal should have been the complainant and Hindustani should have been made a witness," advocate Anand told special judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal while seeking bail for Hindustani. Ironically, Hindustani was donning an 'I Am Anna' cap during the hearing.

Arguing on his bail plea, the defence lawyer accused Delhi Police of "hasty and casual" investigation into the case. He said police were suppressing facts from the court as its probe into the case was in a "wrong" direction. "I had appeared voluntarily before the police. I should have been made a witness in this case as I have always helped the police in finding out the truth so that real culprits could be nailed. But police are implicating my client (Hindustani) and they are suppressing facts from the court," Anand said.

He said the probe agency had not found out the role of the person who had accompanied co-accused Sanjeev Saxena while delivering the bribe to the three BJP MPs. Hindustani's lawyer said the three BJP MPs should have been made complainants in the case as they had shown the "courage" to show the bribe money in Lok Sabha. It was they who had requested the Speaker to initiate an inquiry into the scam, he said.

Hindustani alleged he had contacted Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former aide of BJP leader L K Advani, to expose "horse trading" and save the country from corruption. He alleged that co-accused Kulkarni, then a BJP leader, had an impression that party MPs could also be contacted for saving the then government.

"There was a trust motion in 2008. The ruling party was not in majority at that time. Horse trading was going on and to unearth the corruption, Hindustani contacted Kulkarni and told him -- sir, look horse trading is going on and please do something to save the country from corruption," Hindustani's counsel said.

Hindustani, arrested on July 20, said it was Kulkarni and the three BJP MPs who had contacted a private news channel to expose the corruption.