New Delhi, May 23 -- The Delhi High Court on Thursday modified the bail conditions for Christian James Michel, the British national accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, clearing the way for his release from Tihar Jail. Michel had sought a change in the March 4 bail condition requiring him to surrender his passport and furnish a Rs.5 lakh surety bond. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that Michel's continued incarceration due to his inability to furnish a surety, owing to his foreign nationality, would not serve the ends of justice. In a 17-page order, Justice Sharma replaced the earlier requirement of surety bond with a personal bond of Rs.5 lakh and a cash surety of Rs.10 lakh. She observed that imposing rigid bail conditions without considering Michel's "peculiar situation" would amount to an "unjust deprivation of liberty." Michel had also sought relaxation of the condition requiring him to surrender his passport. His counsel, advocate Aljo Joseph, told the court that Michel's passport expired and he had applied for a renewal following trial court's directions. The process, he said, was likely to take four to eight weeks, making it impossible to comply immediately. High Court permitted his release without requiring him to deposit his passport right away. It directed Foreigners Regional Registration Office to ensure Michel did not leave the country and instructed British High Commission to submit the renewed passport to trial court....