NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to a 69-year-old alleged hawala operator in cases involving "extortion" of Rs 200 crore by alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma noted that the accused Avtar Singh Kochar is a senior citizen with several ailments and has been in custody for the last more than 2 years, saying he seems to be entitled to get bail.
"The offence alleged against the accused is punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years and may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine," the judge noted granting relief to Kochharin the cases lodged by the Delhi police and Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing alleged money laundering by Chandrasekhar and others.
The high court noted that merely because the petitioner has been alleged to be a Hawala Operator, the bail cannot be denied to him.
"The court is required to keep itself confined to the facts of the present case. It is also pertinent to mention that heinous the offence alleged, harsher the onus on the prosecution to prove," the order said.
"The petitioner is admitted to court bail ..(He) shall furnish a personal bail bond in the sum of Rs.5,00,000/- with two sureties of the like amount subject to the satisfaction of the learned Trial Court/CMM/Duty MM," the court ordered in both cases.
It was also said by the court if the petitioner was a hawala operator, the State was at liberty to initiate any action against him in accordance with law and, even in economic offences, it was not a rule that bail should be denied in every case.
Alleged conman Chandrasekhar, who is currently in jail, is accused of cheating many people, including high-profile individuals such as former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh