New Delhi, Aug 23 The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar and wife Leena Paulose be shifted from Tihar Jail to Mandoli jail in Delhi within a week, while denied a probe into extortion charges he levelled against Tihar officials.
Senior advocate R. Basant, representing Chandrashekhar, objected to shift of his client and his wife to Mandoli jail, as he had sought a transfer outside Delhi, as he had received life threats within Tihar. "Will it be fair to shift him to a place under control of the same administration?" he submitted.
A bench comprising Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia said this court is of the opinion that in terms of the statement made by the Enforcement Directorate on June 23, "we are of the view that the petitioner be shifted to Mandoli jail. It is accordingly ordered. The petitioner shall be transferred within a week".
The top court also decided not to deal with Chandrashekhar's allegation of extortion against prison officials and left the matter to be handled by authorities concerned.
Noting that authorities have taken action against various jail officials for helping Chandrashekhar, the bench queried Basant: "Have you filed an affidavit... whom you gave money to, who paid money on your behalf?" To this, he replied that they admit money has been taken.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, said that action has been taken against several jail officials, and added that Chandrashekhar is loaded with cash and that there's no real threat against him.
On July 13, the top court had said it will go to the root of the matter and asked the conman to bring on record, names of those, including Tihar jail officials, whom he bribed to run a "criminal syndicate", and also who were the ultimate beneficiaries.
The ED had opposed shifting of Chandrashekhar from the Tihar jail and urged the top court to prosecute him under perjury for making false allegations of torture and assault on the jail premises.
Chandrashekhar and his wife are currently lodged in Tihar Jail in cases related to cheating and extortion. They moved the apex court seeking transfer to any other jail citing threat to their lives. The prison authorities have denied allegations that he was assaulted within the jail and that the medical examination did not report any external injuries on him.
The ED claimed that Chandrashekhar paid over Rs 12 crore, allegedly as an extortion amount, as bribes to prison officials at Tihar who have since been suspended.
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