SC orders to shift ex Unitech owners from Tihar to separate Mumbai jails
Aug 26, 2021
New Delhi [India], August 26 : Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra, the erstwhile promoters of realty firm Unitech, will be shifted from Delhi's Tihar Jail to Mumbai's Arthur Road and Taloja Jail respectively, said Supreme Court on Thursday.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dr Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud and also comprising Justice M R Shah passed the order and expressed displeasure over the way the accused were allegedly operating from Tihar Jail in New Delhi.
The Supreme Court also ordered that the two accused -- Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra -- will not be provided with any kind of additional facility in the Arthur Road jail and Taloja jail.
The Supreme Court today also ordered that both the brothers be transferred immediately and to be housed separately.
Supreme Court also pulled up the Tihar Jail authorities for acting in connivance with Unitech Directors --Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra-- in engaging in illegal activities by "flouting the jail manual, rules and statute, dissipating proceedings, derailing the investigation in the case."
The top court also directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to start a detailed inquiry forthwith against the concerned jail officials (Tihar) who were "conniving" with the two accused -- Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra -- and asked him to submit a detailed report within four weeks.
The apex court passed the order after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the Court that two Unitech promoters were allegedly found operating from inside the Tihar jail and were allegedly carrying out their work and various other transactions from there.
The accused Chandra brothers were arrested by the Delhi Police's Economic Offices Wing (EOW) in March 2017 after receiving many complaints.
The Patiala House Court had in 2015 passed the order of registering the FIR (First Information Report) against Chandras.
The FIR was registered after a complaint filed by a homebuyer in connection with the Anthea project in Gurugram. After that also, many more complaints were registered against the Unitech group with respect to the Anthea project.
A lot of homebuyers had approached the police after their flats were not handed over to them within the stipulated deadline, as promised by the real estate firm despite having paid all the money to the company.
