“Everyone Comes Here Due To Proximity”: SC On Plea Seeking Expeditious Hearing In Delhi HC

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on Leena Paulose, wife of alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, for approaching it to fast-track the hearing of her bail plea pending before the Delhi High Court in a ₹200-crore extortion case.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Prashant Kumar Mishra made its displeasure clear. “It is not acceptable. Just because of proximity of the Supreme Court, everyone comes here and then seeks adjournment,” the judges remarked, noting that such practices burden the apex court unnecessarily.

Counsel Cites Delay In High Court

Paulose’s lawyer argued that although her bail plea was being listed for hearing daily before the Delhi High Court, it had not been taken up. He added that the matter was again scheduled for Wednesday, prompting his request for adjournment before the top court. The bench allowed the adjournment but reiterated that parties should not routinely bypass the normal judicial process.

Case Background

Paulose and her husband Sukesh Chandrashekar are accused in one of the country’s most high-profile extortion rackets. The Delhi Police allege that Chandrashekar duped Aditi Singh and Shivani Singh, the wives of former Ranbaxy promoters Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh, to the tune of ₹200 crore.

The case has attracted wide attention, with investigators claiming that Chandrashekar and his associates used hawala channels and floated shell companies to launder proceeds of crime.

Multiple Probes Underway

Apart from this case, Chandrashekar and Paulose face a parallel investigation by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering matter linked to the same scam. Both were arrested by the Delhi Police, which has also invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to strengthen the charges.

The extortion case is only one among several probes against Chandrashekar across the country. Authorities allege that he ran a sophisticated network of fraud and extortion while in prison, using a web of accomplices and illegal financial channels.