The Delhi High Court on Monday granted bail to Dheeraj Wadhawan on medical grounds in a CBI case, where he is accused of being involved in a multi-crore bank fraud.
Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain approved the bail, stating, “Petitioner falls under the category of sick person,” and set aside the earlier trial court’s order denying bail.
On June 5, the Delhi High Court had sought a status report on Wadhawan’s bail plea, which was previously dismissed by the trial court. His legal team included Senior Advocates Amit Desai, who appeared via video conference, and Siddharth Agrawal, who was physically present. Advocate Anupam S. Sharma, representing the CBI, opposed the bail.
Wadhawan’s earlier bail plea was withdrawn on May 17 after his arrest in connection with the DHFL bank loan case. The trial court had twice dismissed his bail applications. On May 10, Special Judge A.K. Sarpal of the Rouse Avenue Court rejected his plea on grounds of maintainability and directed the CBI to arrest him after May 11, as per the Supreme Court’s January 24 order. The court also stated that Wadhawan could file a fresh bail application after his arrest for consideration on medical or regular bail.
Earlier, the Bombay High Court had granted him protection from arrest until May 11 due to medical reasons, following his hospitalization and surgery. He was receiving treatment at home before being taken into custody.
On January 24, the Supreme Court overturned the Delhi High Court’s decision to grant statutory bail to Dheeraj Wadhawan and his brother, Kapil Wadhawan, in a bank loan scam case. The apex court ruled that both the High Court and the trial court had erred in granting the Wadhawan brothers default bail, noting that the chargesheet was filed and cognizance was taken within the legal timeframe. The court emphasized, “Respondents could not have claimed statutory bail as a right,” and directed the trial court to reconsider regular bail.
The case against the Wadhawan brothers stems from a complaint by the Union Bank of India, accusing them of fraud. They were arrested on July 19, 2023, after the CBI filed a chargesheet on the 88th day following the FIR’s registration. Though the trial court initially granted them bail, citing the incomplete chargesheet, the Supreme Court later nullified these decisions.
