Supreme Court shocked by Delhi HC's extended stay on bail order without specific reasons
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed shock over the Delhi High Court’s decision to extend a stay on a regular bail order for more than a year without providing specific reasons. The apex court also questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for defending the High Court's interim stay on the trial court's bail order.
The Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, heard the petition of Parvinder Singh Khurana, accused in a money laundering case, challenging the Delhi HC's temporary stay on the trial court’s June 2023 order granting him bail.
Expressing surprise at the prolonged stay by the Delhi HC, Justice Oka questioned why the High Court was delaying the bail when Khurana was not accused of terrorism. The stay had been issued following a petition by the ED seeking to cancel the bail granted to Khurana.
Advocate Zoheb Hossain, representing the ED, argued that the trial court had granted bail without considering all factors of the case. He noted that three judges of the Delhi HC had recused themselves from hearing the ED’s application for the cancellation of Khurana’s bail.
When the Supreme Court bench asked the ED to justify the Delhi HC's single-line order staying the bail, Hossain explained that the parties had no control over the court's decision to provide reasons in its orders. He expressed the prosecution's helplessness but emphasized that Khurana was involved in laundering significant amounts of illegally acquired funds.
Justice Oka acknowledged that both the ED and the apex court bore some responsibility regarding the case. The bench reserved its judgment and allowed the ED's advocate to submit a detailed note within two days.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
