The Supreme Court Wednesday directed alleged ‘conman’ Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who has claimed that Rs 12.5 crore was extorted from him by some officials at the Tihar Jail here, to submit the list of persons and details about the payments made on his behalf. The apex court, which was hearing a plea of Chandrashekhar and his wife seeking to shift them from the Tihar Jail on the ground of an alleged threat to their lives, questioned him as to who made the payment on his behalf and said it would go into the “root of the matter”.
A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit observed that it would be necessary to understand the identity of those who made the payments on his behalf in order to come to a conclusion as to whether Chandrashekhar was subjected to alleged extortion or whether, as asserted by the authority, he was running a crime syndicate from inside the jail.
“We, therefore, call upon the petitioner to submit the list of persons giving all details as to the payments made by any or every one of them and to whom the payments were made. Let all the details be filed before the next date of hearing,” the bench, also comprising Justices S R Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia, said.
Senior advocate R Basant, appearing for Chandrashekhar, told the top court that the petitioner was subjected to threats, intimidation, and money was extorted from him in Tihar Jail where he is lodged. “According to you, how much money has been extorted from you?” the bench asked.
Basant said as per allegation, it is Rs 12.5 crore. “Who are the persons who made the payments on your behalf,” the apex court asked.
The bench, which posted the matter for hearing on July 26, observed that the affidavit filed by the authority claimed that while being in jail, Chandrashekhar was allegedly running a crime syndicate and was paying money for getting the adequate facility to use a mobile phone without any hindrance and to pass messages to persons from his syndicate. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju told the bench that there are serious allegations against Chandrashekhar, including that of impersonation of judges.
“He conned person from the jail and extracted Rs 214 crores,” he told the bench, adding that Chandrashekhar want to be shifted out of Tihar jail so that he can run his racket. The bench observed that the allegation against Chandrashekhar is that he was running his activity from the jail by bribing some officials there.
“We need to look at both perspectives,” the bench said, adding, “We will certainly ensure the physical safety of this person to the extent that he should not be subjected to any such thing.” “First and foremost, we want to know the names of those persons. Who are the persons who made the payment, in what sum, in what amount, and on which dates,” the top court said. On June 23, the Centre had proposed to the top court that if at all Chandrashekhar and his wife are to be shifted outside the Tihar Jail, then they should be lodged in Mandoli prison which is being guarded by paramilitary forces.
The government had opposed the transfer of Chandrashekhar and his wife to any other jail outside Delhi on the alleged ground of a threat to their lives and added that they will be protected by police personnel from Tamil Nadu Special Police Force and would be observed through CCTV cameras. On June 21, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought prosecution of Chandrashekhar for perjury as it had claimed that he had falsely stated in his affidavit about a physical assault in Tihar Jail and deliberately omitted the report of the doctors who ruled out any physical injury to him.
In an affidavit filed earlier by Director General (Prisons), Delhi Prisons, it was said that the contents of Chandrashekhar’s application that he was assaulted in jail are vehemently denied as totally and wholly false and fabricated for the ulterior motive of seeking transfer to another prison to repeat his misdemeanours and offences. On June 20, the ED had made some startling revelations against Chandrashekhar that he indulged in money laundering, extortion, impersonation of public officials including those holding constitutional posts, and had opposed his plea for prison transfer outside Delhi.
The probe agency has sought to intervene in a plea of Chandrashekhar, who is lodged in Tihar jail on charges of alleged money laundering and duping several people, and his wife seeking their transfer to a prison outside Delhi claiming threat to their lives from jail staff. The probe agency named several TV and Bollywood personalities with whom the alleged ‘conman’ has contacts and used to give them expensive gifts.
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