Supreme Court: Appropriate To Shift Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Wife From Tihar Jail To Allay Apprehensions Of Life Threat

The Supreme Court in the case Sukash Chandra Shekhar @ Sukesh & Anr. Versus Union of India & Anr observed that it will be appropriate to transfer alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar and his wife Leena Paulose from Tihar Jail to allay raised by them regarding danger to life from the jail officials. The Court directed the Centre to take an appropriate decision with regards to the jail where Chandrashekhar could be transferred to. The vacation bench comprising of Justice AS Bopanna and the Justice Vikram Nath observed and stated that in the present case, while observing the facts and circumstances and even without entering into the rival contentions, the bench finds it appropriate to transfer the Petitioners to some other jail to allow the apprehension of all concerned. As it is requested, list on 20.06.2022 to enable the respondents to take a decision on the appropriate jail to which the petitioners can be transferred. In the case relating to cheating and extortion, the Sukesh Chandrashekhar and Leena Paulose, who are currently lodged in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail had approached the Top Court by filling a writ petition for seeking to be transferred to any other jail. The Supreme Court, while refusing to pass any interim directions on May 13, 2022, the court recorded the assurance of Additional Solicitor General SV Raju that the petitioners’ safety shall be taken care of. The Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for Sukesh Chandrashekhar in the hearing submitted before the court that Suresh was apprehending risk to his life due to him being lodged in Tihar Jail. It was further stated by her that since many jail officials have been arrested for taking bribes as protection money, and are under an investigation. It stated that the Chandrashekhar would be targeted by the officials. The Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for Sukesh submitted that “the matter is listed up now, which was listed before vacation. Sukesh has been in custody and is not asking for bail and while I was custody, because of certain instances that took place Investigation has been carried out at the jail on a large number of officers, and it was further been admitted those officers received the money, my condition has become difficult and I have been threatened, when action is taken against the officers. The Statement made by ASG that I’ll be given protection. My hand was twisted when I came back from the hospital and it was stated by them that they are not scared of the Court’s Order. It was further stated by her, while requesting the bench to transfer him to a jail in Bangalore because “I have an aged mother and my father is no more so she can visit me. I am not saying prison A B or C, can be transferred if my lords so accept to Bangalore I can even be sent to Andaman and Nicobar. please transfer me to any jail, it’s on that ground that I’m saying. As if I kept in Tihar I have risk to my life”. It was submitted by ASG KM Nataraj for the Union that weather the case projected by them is true and we’ll have to examine and we’ll submit a report to the court. It was further stated by the ASG that if “we have to consider a suitable jail keeping in mind the security and We’ll weigh the options and give on Monday a list of prisons where Sukesh could be lodged”. the bench, while considering the submissions made by the counsels at this juncture adjourned the matter for June 20, 2022 while granting time to the Union to consider the appropriate jail where he could be transferred. The bench comprising of ASG KM Nataraj stated that Dehors all the allegations and keeping in view the safety of the inmate of the jail we can always say let him be placed in some other jail. With some other jail or state, we can think of and you can take off decision and the bench adjourn it by saying that to consider the appropriate jail to where he could be transferred.