Shimla, Nov. 1 -- Himachal Pradesh high court on Friday granted bail to assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Pankaj Sharma, arrested by CBI for alleged tampering with evidence linked to the mysterious death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited chief engineer Vimal Negi. The court of justice Virender Singh, while allowing the bail plea on Friday, observed that "pre-trial punishment is prohibited under the law, as the applicant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty". The high court issued directions to grant bail to Pankaj on furnishing personal bond in the sum of Rs.50,000, with one surety, in the like amount, to the satisfaction of the chief judicial magistrate, Shimla. The court noted that the CBI had failed to justify the continued judicial custody of the accused and ruled that "no useful purpose would be served by keeping the applicant in judicial custody, that too, for an indefinite period". The HC held, "The ground upon which the bail application has been opposed, i.e. seeking police custody of the applicant, in order to confront him with the evidence, so collected, is too short to decline the relief." Sharma, who was posted at Sadar police station, Shimla, was arrested by the CBI on September 14, on charges of tampering with a pen drive allegedly recovered from the possession of the deceased. The CBI had argued that the device was formatted in the police station's computer, purportedly to "screen offenders behind death of Vimal Negi."htc...