CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has fixed November 22 to consider renowned Bengali film producer Shrikant Mohta’s interim application for bail filed on health grounds.The single judge bench of Justice SK Sahoo fixed the date on Thursday after the Superintendent of Jharpada Jail in Bhubaneswar submitted a report on Mohta’s health condition.
Mohta was arrested by the CBI on January 24 for his alleged links with Rose Valley, one of the major players in the ponzi scam. He has since been in judicial custody at Jharpada jail. Mohta, co-founder of Shree Venkatesh Films Pvt Ltd (SVFPL), is accused of entering into a conspiracy with Rose Valley and embezzling crores of rupees on the pretext of producing films.
The interim application stated that the health condition of Mohta has been precarious since he was sent to judicial custody. He had suffered brain stroke twice and treated from July 6 to 14 and from August 21 to 26 at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack and AIIMS, Bhubaneswar respectively.Doctors treating him had counselled that because of ongoing mental suffering recurring stroke is quite a possibility, the interim application and an affidavit had claimed.
Taking note of it, Justice Sahoo had issued order on October 29 that said, “Let the file be placed before the Registrar (Judicial) who shall sen d a copy of the interim application and affidavit to the Superintendent of Jharpada Jail to obtain his response by way of an affidavit on health condition of the petitioner (Shrikant Mohta).”
When the Court of Sessions Judge, Khurda in Bhubaneswar did not grant Mohta bail on February 14, he had moved the High Court. But Justice Sahoo had rejected his bail petition on May 13. He again filed a bail application on June 20 and followed it up with an interim application for bail on health grounds on October 24.
According to the May 13, 2019 bail rejection order, CBI during investigations had found alleged exchange of money between Mohta and Gautam Kundu, founder of the Rose Valley Group of Companies. The investigations had further indicated that Mohta had allegedly misappropriated huge amount of money in the name of producing films and siphoned off the money, which was illegally collected by Rose Valley’s ponzi schemes from depositors.