The Hindu : New Delhi News : Supreme Court orders return of bail bonds, sureties to bullion merchant

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Tuesday, Sep 18, 2007
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New Delhi

Supreme Court orders return of bail bonds, sureties to bullion merchant

J. Venkatesan

New Delhi: With the Tamil Nadu police giving a clean chit to bullion merchant Shantilal Surana, chairman of Surana Corporation Limited, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered return of Rs. 60-lakh bail bonds and sureties furnished by him when he was granted anticipatory bail.

The Supreme Court, on May 17, had stayed an order passed by the Madras High Court, cancelling the anticipatory bail granted to Mr. Surana and bail granted to Gautam Raj Surana and two others on April 27.

When the matter was taken up on Monday, senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the petitioners, told a Bench of Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice H.S. Bedi that subsequent to the May 17 order, the investigating officer had filed a closure report. The Magistrate had accepted it and closed the case.

Mr. Singhvi said since nothing survived in the case, the SLP might be disposed of. The Bench recorded the submissions and dismissed the SLPs as infructuous. On May 17, the apex court had said that Mr. Surana would be released on anticipatory bail on his depositing an additional amount of Rs. 20 lakh within two weeks (over and above the Rs. 40-lakh bonds imposed by the High Court) and producing the fixed deposit receipt before the third metropolitan magistrate, Georgetown, Chennai. On Monday the Bench directed return of all bail bonds and sureties furnished by the petitioners.

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