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Supreme Court rejects Sukesh Chandrasekhar's jail request: ‘You have money to…’
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and PB Varale noted that similar pleas previously filed by Chandrasekhar were dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea by alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar urging to shift him from the Mandoli Jail in the national capital to any other prison, except those in Punjab and Delhi. The court called the repeated pleas "abuse of law".
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and PB Varale noted that similar pleas previously filed by Chandrasekhar were dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The bench said Sukesh Chandrasekhar's grievance was with the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government. Since there would be a change in government, it said, the grievance didn't survive.
"You have money to spend, you keep on taking chances. This is an abuse of the process of law. How can you keep filing the same petition?" the bench said.
"We are not inclined to entertain the petition filed under Article 32 of the constitution. We have not expressed an opinion on the merits of the case. However we cannot resist ourselves in expressing that the present petitioner has tried to misuse the process of law by filing writs one after another under the guise of changed circumstances," it added.
Arguing for Sukesh Chandrashekhar, senior advocate Shoeb Alam said he had the right under Article 21 to not be kept away from his family. He urged that the alleged conman can be jailed closer to home – anywhere near Karnataka.
The bench, however, dismissed the plea, saying fundamental rights cannot be enforced at the cost of others.
"We are worried about society and its safety also. Your fundamental rights cannot be enforced at the cost of others. Look at the kind of allegations you levelled against the officers," added the bench.
What was Sukesh Chandrashekhar's charge?
Sukesh Chandrashekhar had told the court he was placed under surveillance with two cameras to pressure him to withdraw his complaints against AAP leader Satyendra Jain and the party.
"Please, send me anywhere in the country, except Punjab and Delhi where the Aam Aadmi Party is not there," his lawyer submitted.
Chandrasekhar has accused Jain of extorting ₹10 crore "protection money" from him. He also alleged that AAP accepted a contribution of ₹50 crore from him.
With inputs from PTI
