The Delhi High Court on Wednesday has refused to permit former Religare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh to travel abroad, maintaining the look-out circular issued against him in connection with an SFIO probe into the affairs of Religare Enterprises Limited and other related entities.
A vacation bench of Justice Dharmesh Sharma observed that Singh possesses considerable assets and properties outside India, either directly or indirectly, and expressed concerns that if allowed to leave the country, he might not return to face the investigation and trial.
Singh had requested permission to travel to the United Kingdom from June 14 to July 4 and again from August 20 to September 10 to attend his two sons’ graduation ceremonies. He challenged a trial court’s decision that rejected his plea to suspend the LOC and allow him to travel abroad during these periods.
Court States…
The high court upheld the trial court’s decision, highlighting the importance of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe, which aims to protect the economic and national interests of the country. “The magnitude of the investigation being conducted by the SFIO in public interest to safeguard the economic and national interest of the country is at a much higher pedestal,” the court stated.
Acknowledging the significance of the graduation ceremonies, the court noted, “Attending the graduation ceremony of his sons, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, is momentous, and the sentiments of fatherly love cannot be brushed aside. However, this must give way to the paramount national interest and the interests of the stakeholders who have been deprived of their hard-earned investments in REL and other companies.”
More Into The Order
The court concluded that granting Singh permission to travel abroad would pose a risk. “There are sufficient grounds to infer that if such liberty is granted, the petitioner may abuse it and may not return to India, potentially undermining the entire investigation and ensuing process.”
The SFIO’s lawyer argued that while Singh has justifiable personal reasons to attend his sons’ graduation ceremonies, the paramount economic interest of the company cannot be ignored, especially given that the investigation has so far indicated that more than ₹1,800 crore have been siphoned off out of India.
