They shall join the investigation as and when required by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and will not leave the country without the permission of the court

Judge Ajit Bharihoke

The multi-millionaire Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash - were granted bail on condition that they do not leave the country without permission.

The Hindujas have been accused of criminal conspiracy and bribery in connection with the purchase of field guns by India from the Swedish company, Bofors.

They deny the charges, arising out of a lengthy Indian police investigation, which also implicated a number of prominent politicians including the former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi.

Custody argument

The Hindujas, dressed in Western-style business suits, appeared before a packed courtroom in Delhi.

The scandal surrounds the purchase of artillery guns

Their legal team argued that they should not be taken into custody as they had appeared before the court voluntarily.

A further hearing has been set for 30 January.

The brothers - two of whom are based in the UK and the other in Switzerland - arrived in India earlier this week after being named in a charge sheet by the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The charges followed a battle by the CBI to get access to confidential bank account records held in Switzerland, which the agency finally won last year.

Key corruption case

The Hindujas control a global business empire, which has made them multi-millionaires.

They are also said to be close friends with the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his wife and supported London's Millennium Dome project with generous sponsorship.

The Bofors corruption case is regarded as one of the most important India has ever seen, with a number of other international businessmen and Indian politicians implicated.

The Indian authorities are currently seeking the extradition from Malaysia of an Italian businessman, Ottavio Quattrocchi.

He has also denied any wrongdoing.