A Delhi court today extended tillDecember 20 the interim protection from arrest granted to Zee Group ChairmanSubhash Chandra and his son in the case of alleged Rs 100 crore extortion bidfrom Congress MP Naveen Jindal's firm by two editors of the news channel.
"Interim protection for the two is extended till December 20,"Additional Sessions Judge Raj Rani Mitra said, adding that the court will heararguments on their anticipatory bail plea on that day.
The order came after Chandra and his son Punit Goenka's counsel, senioradvocate Geeta Luthra and Vijay Aggarwal, sought extension of the interimprotection as Luthra had to rush to Supreme Court to argue in another matterlisted there.
Luthra said that the passports of her clients are already with the police sothere is no chance of their fleeing from justice.
She also said that after the interim protection granted on December 6, Chandraand Goenka have joined the probe on December 8 and 9.
"They have not been called for further joining of investigation till todayso the interim protection may be extended," she said.
Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan opposed the request for extension ofinterim protection saying if the court wants to adjourn the matter, they(police) have no problem in this but it should not extend their interimprotection as it expires today.
The Delhi Police today filed its fresh status report in the case as directed bythe court in its December 6 order.
The court, meanwhile, also heard arguments on the regular bail application ofZee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary and Zee Business Editor Samir Ahluwalia, whowere arrested on November 27.
Earlier on December 6, the court had granted Chandra and Goenka interimprotection from arrest till December 14 and had directed them to "join andcooperate" with the probe in the case of alleged extortion bid by twoeditors of Zee News.
The court had also directed the Delhi Police, which had decided to interrogateChandra and his son Punit Goenka on December 8, to file a fresh report onDecember 14.
It had ordered both Chandra and Goenka to surrender their passports to thepolice.
The interim protection was granted by the court on the application filed by thefather-son duo, seeking this relief or anticipatory bail.
The prosecution while opposing their application had contended that the twojailed editors (Chaudhary and Ahluwalia) have not acted alone and that thewhole episode was planned in collusion with the seniors of the Zee group in aconspiracy hatched to extort Rs 100 crore for their channel.
Both Chaudhary and Ahluwalia, presently lodged in Tihar jail, have been bookedunder section 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonmentfor life or other imprisonment) of the IPC.