No Relief for Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty in EOW case as court has demanded Rs 60 crore deposit on Wednesday.
In a recent hearing before a bench led by Justice Gadkari, senior advocate Abad Ponda, representing Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty, sought permission for the couple to travel abroad to London, citing the ill health of Raj Kundra’s father.
However, the court asked about the nature of the offence and the amount involved, and was informed that the figure stood at ₹60 crore. The bench then directed the applicants to deposit the entire amount before seeking travel permission.
Court orders the deposit of full amount
Advocate Ponda argued that there was no legal basis for ordering the full deposit. The court expressed concerns over the bona fides of the applicants, stating there was no guarantee that they would return to India if allowed to travel. Consequently, the Court ordered the deposit of the full amount in court.
Ponda later requested permission to submit a surety or any other reasonable security instead. The bench rejected this, insisting on a continuous bank guarantee from a nationalised bank for the full amount as proof of bona fides.
Ponda requested the guarantee amount be reasonable, but the court declined, maintaining that the bank guarantee must cover the full Rs 60 crore on a continuous basis.
ED wasn’t served the travel plea, prosecutor tells court
During proceedings, the Public Prosecutor informed the court that the Enforcement Directorate had not been served with the travel application, which prompted the bench to express displeasure and post the matter for hearing after three weeks.
Senior Advocate Ponda opposed the delay, asking to expedite the matter before the Christmas break pending instructions on the bank guarantee. The court ultimately adjourned the matter by one week.
