Venugopal Dhoot excused from court appearance due to ICU confinement

Venugopal Dhoot, the Chairman of Videocon, has been released from prison following a case of cheating ICICI Bank. However, he is currently in the ICU of a hospital in Aurangabad and is unable to travel to Mumbai to fulfil the bail requirements. Due to his unique circumstances, a special court has exempted him from the requirement of being present in person.

The court noted that Venugopal Dhoot is currently receiving treatment in the ICU of a hospital in Aurangabad, where he was transported by an air ambulance after his release from prison in January. The court deemed this situation unusual and exceptional and decided to grant his request.

According to the court, Dhoot was required to be physically present to accept those standing as surety for him and to sign a bond. However, his advocate Sandeep Ladda informed the court that Dhoot's health condition was not good even during his judicial custody, as his sugar levels were not under control, and he was facing other health issues as well.

As per the court order, the medical officer of the prison had given medication to Dhoot and recorded his health status.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) opposed his plea and said that his personal presence is required for the procedure.

While granting the relief, Special Judge MR Purwar took into consideration that even when Dhoot was in jail, he was provided insulin with the help of an attendant after regular sugar checks and that he was given a medical diet.

The CBI has accused Dhoot of offering bribes to Chanda Kocchar, the former MD-CEO of ICICI Bank, through her husband Deepak Kocchar, in exchange for approving loans worth Rs. 1,050 crores for Videocon Group companies. However, the group failed to repay the loans, leading to the allegations against Dhoot.