Naveen Jindal can travel abroad but has to deposit Rs.1 cr fixed deposit: Court
The Special Court handling Coal scam related cases on Thursday allowed Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal, accused in three cases related to alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks, to travel to countries, including the US, Britain, and the UAE, from October 15 to 31. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj directed Jindal to furnish a fixed deposit of Rs.1 crore and not to tamper with any evidence or try to influence any witness in any manner.
The Judge allowed Jindal’s application noting he had travelled abroad several times in the past and returned to India to face the trial within the stipulated period. The judge noted that out of three matters, in only one matter being probed by the CBI the prosecution evidence was being recorded and the accused has “already undertaken that he will not dispute his identity and will not question the legitimacy of proceedings conducted in his absence and in the presence of his counsel on the ground of his absence during such period of travel”.
“Therefore, in the considered opinion of this Court, the applicant is entitled to permission of the court to travel abroad to Oman, UAE, Guinea, Venezuela, USA, UK, Poland, and Czech Republic from October 15 to 31,” the judge said. One of the cases Jindal is an accused in pertains to irregularities in the allocation of the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand, which is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A separate money laundering case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to the allocation of the coal block. The third case being probed by the CBI relates to the alleged irregularities in the allocation of the Urtan North coal block in Madhya Pradesh. The CBI and the ED did not oppose the application of Jindal to go abroad for 16 days.
For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.
- Supreme Court rejects plea to tally all VVPAT slips with EVM votes; says ‘no going back to paper ballot’ - April 26, 2024
- US report citing human rights violations is deeply biased: India - April 25, 2024
- Kotak Mahindra Bank shares tank 13%. Market Cap erodes by Rs.37,721 cr post-RBI action - April 25, 2024
