New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday expelled Indian Youth Congress leader and lawyer Aljo K Joseph from the party after he appeared for Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the graft-tainted Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal during the UPA rule.
British businessman Michel was Wednesday sent to five-day CBI custody by a Delhi court, a day after he was extradited to India from the UAE.
The CBI's plea for custody was opposed by Michel's counsel Joseph and Vishnu Shankaran who said they have not yet received any documents from the agency and that the accused may be remanded to judicial custody.
Suresh Nakhua, a spokesperson of the Mumbai BJP unit, had first claimed that Michel's lawyer Joseph was a Youth Congress functionary, evoking sharp reactions from various quarters.
Following criticism, the Congress expelled Joseph from the party.
"Aljo K Joseph appeared in his personal capacity. He did not consult the Youth Congress before appearing in the case. IYC does NOT endorse such actions. IYC has removed Aljo Joseph from IYC's Legal Department and expelled him from the party with immediate effect," the IYC said in a statement.
