New Delhi, Nov 27: Manish Chawla, owner of Sementic Information Technology, who was granted bail by Delhi High Court last month remains in jail because he reportedly did not fulfill the bail conditions.
The Delhi High Court had asked Chawla to furnish an amount of Rs.1 Crore and a similar amount for each subsequent period of four months a part of the bail conditions. Recently, Chawla had moved an application seeking bail on payment of a much smaller amount as surety.
Chawla has been behind the bar for last 18 months. Earlier, Delhi High Court granted him bail on the condition of remitting immediately Rs. One Crore and thereafter one crore each for subsequent four months.
As per the last High Court order, the court accepted the request for bail filed by the accused who was charged with duping IT channel partners to the tune of Rs.15 crore, including about Rs.5.53 crore that he allegedly defrauded from seven members affiliated to the Progressive Channels Association of Information Technology (PCAIT). It was based on a complaint filed by the association with the Economic Offenses Wing of the government that Chawla was arrested, said a member of PCAIT.
V Krishnan, secretary of PCAIT had told Channel Times that, “On 26th November, the ex-president RK Malhotra of PCAIT and I was summoned to depose as witness for the prosecution in the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Pandey, where the trial is going on against Chawla. The defense lawyer produced a copy of a recent Delhi High Court order which revised its earlier order, on the application moved by Manish Chawla that he had no money to deposit as required by the earlier order of the Court and that he may allowed bail with very small amount as surety and that he had been in jail for more than 18 month. According to the revised order, the CMM was given the option to suitably amend the terms and conditions of the bail or grant interim bail in the alternative, as requested by the accused Manish Chawla.”
The first application addressed to the CMM, seeking revised terms for bail, was rejected by the CMM mentioning that his Court had no powers to amend the terms and conditions set by the Delhi High Court.
The second application seeking interim bail for three months on grounds of family-related problems such as a psychological problem faced by his son and the ill-health of his parents, was also rejected by the court which remarked that there were adequate members in the family to take care of these health issues.
“The plea then by Manish Chawla for at least 10 days’ interim bail was also turned down. Now the case is posted for January 13th, 2014 and we earnestly hope this time the deposition by RK Malhotra and his cross examination by the defense will be completed,” said Krishnan.