SC to hear Hindujas plea on going abroad

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will examine next week the three Hinduja brothers’ plea for going abroad together and also why the 17-years-old Rs 64 crore Bofors pay off case trial involving the petitioners was not being conducted expeditiously.
The Bofors pay off case trial has been adjourned till August 27.
While holding that the Hunduja brothers -- Prakash Chand, Sri Chand, and Gopi Chand -- were liable to face trial in the Bofors pay off case, the Supreme Court had ordered their expeditious trial.
During the hearing of their application for going abroad, a Bench of Justices M B Shah and A R Lakshmanan took exception to the fact that the hearing of the case had been adjourned till August 27 even after the apex court had directed expeditious trial proceedings in the case.
Hindujas'' counsel Ram Jethmalani and Kapil Sibal, both MPs, said that their clients did not understand as to why they have been singled out for expeditious trial when other cases pertaining to graver offences have been pending for years.
When CBI counsel A D N Rao and A Mariarputham said that the trial was adjourned as the Delhi high court had summoned the case records during the hearing of a petition filed by Hindujas challenging framing of charges against them, the Bench wondered as to why the trial was to be adjourned during hearing of a petition in the high court.
Jethmalani said it was a high court order on a petition which the Hindujas, under the law, were entitled to move.