Sending a strong message to big personalities taking the advantage of legal process, the Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that “we have had a bad experience” in past and rejected the plea of Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia, facing trial in 2G case, seeking permission to travel overseas for business.
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A bench comprising justices J.S. Khehar and Arun Mishra refused to allow Ruia to travel to Moscow and Britain for business engagements.
“We have cut a very sorry figure. You can go to hell”.
The bench had said “we are also prima facie satisfied that the petitioner has committed contempt of this Court by breaching the directions issued by the Court, as also violating the undertaking given to this Court”. We don’t want to get into this. It is like once bitten twice shy. Aprobably allusion was Vijay Mallya.
“Give us details of your businesses in India”. His lawyers had told the court that he needs to travel overseas as he has business interests in Canada, US and Saudi Arabia. Everybody else is giving a detailed itinerary. He doesn’t want to give any documents and reasons for travelling overseas. “There is no way we can bring him back”, Grover said.
“Extradition is very hard”. What is an offence in India is not an offence in other countries. “If he decides to stay overseas, there is no way to bring him back”, he further said to buttress his argument.
The court appeared to accept the investigating agency’s argument and said: “We have had a bad experience earlier”. Earlier, appearing for Ruia, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought the court’s nod for him to travel overseas on the ground that he had several businesses overseas. The three companies also refuted these allegations.
There was nothing wrong in allowing him to visit countri-es such as Russia, Canada and the U.S. where he has business operations, Singhvi argued.
Grover said that the trial in the 2G case was near completion and one can expect the judgment before February next year.
“My brother, who is the head of the conglomerate, will stand surety for me”.
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“We have allowed a person to go overseas but he never came back”.
