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Supreme Court notice to CBI on Hindujas' plea

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 2. The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation on applications filed by the three Hinduja brothers — Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — seeking waiver of the Rs. 15-crore bank guarantee condition imposed on each of them three years ago for grant of bail in the Rs. 64-crore Bofors payoff case.

A Bench, comprising Justice S. Rajendra Babu and Justice G. P. Mathur, after hearing the senior advocate for the Hindujas, Ram Jethmalani, asked the CBI to file its reply on or before April 8 — the next date of hearing.

In their applications, the brothers stated that they had dutifully obeyed all court orders and had enormous financial and social interests in India. The bank guarantees of Rs. 45 crores had resulted in expenditure of about Rs. 45 lakhs towards bank charges so far. "This is besides the inconvenience already being experienced, while conferring no benefit per se to them." Requesting the court to waive the bank guarantee condition, they said: "It would be in the interest of justice and in cognisance with settled legal position and equity and it will cause no harm either to the prosecution or to the proceedings."

The Delhi High Court had recently quashed the corruption charges against the Hindujas and remanded the case to a Magistrate to conduct trial on charges of cheating and conspiracy and accordingly the trial court had framed charges last week.

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