 "SC grants interim bail to Amrapali Group ex-CMD on health grounds")
The Supreme Court on Monday granted four weeks interim bail, on medical grounds, to Amrapali Group's former Chairman and Managing Director Anil Kumar Sharma.
On August 4, the top court had issued notice on Sharma's plea seeking bail on medical grounds. A bench headed by Justice U.U. Lalit asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to file a report on Sharma's medical condition and scheduled the matter for hearing on August 8.
On Monday, the top court granting interim bail, asked Sharma to surrender after expiry of four weeks.
In the previous hearing, Sharma's counsel had contended before the top court that his client's health condition was deteriorating and urged it to grant bail to Sharma for six to eight weeks keeping in view his medical condition. Sharma is lodged in Mandoli prison here.
Amrapali Group's ex-directors, including Sharma, are behind bars after multiple cases have been registered against them for allegedly diverting home buyers' money.
The top court, on June 9, allowed Sharma's surgery to be conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for the repair of a "bilateral inguinal hernia" within a week. However, noting that allegations against Sharma are serious, it did not entertain a plea by his counsel seeking bail for four weeks.
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The SC had directed an Enforcement Directorate probe into the alleged money laundering by the realtor.
On March 21, the court had declined to order clubbing and transfer of several cases lodged against Amrapali directors and other officials of the group's firms.
The counsel of Shiv Priya, one of the Amrapali officials behind the bars, submitted before a bench headed by Justice Lalit that trial in over 80 criminal matters can be transferred to one court from seven different courts in the capital.
Refusing to either club or transfer the cases, the bench said every complainant will have different versions and it will create issues for the court, and the trial court judge concerned will find it difficult to deliver the judgement.
As counsel cited clubbing of matters in the coal scam, the bench pointed out that the coal scam cases involved government officials as accused and the Prevention of Corruption Act provides transfer and clubbing of cases. The counsel emphasised that the crux of all the FIRs is that the home buyers were cheated.
--IANS
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