Mumbai: Refusing to grant bail to Pune-based stud farm owner Hasan Ali Khan, accused of stashing away billions of dollars in overseas accounts, the Bombay High Court on Friday asked him to approach the special court handling Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases.
Disposing of Khan's bail application, Justice RC Chavan told his lawyer that "why have you come here directly instead of moving the special court as directed by the Supreme Court?"
The apex court, while cancelling the bail granted to Khan by the special court initially, had asked him to approach the same court afresh for bail.
But Khan's counsel, advocate I P Bagadia, today said his client had withdrawn the bail application in the special court because there were no prosecutors there. "In the absence of prosecutors, how can I argue?" he said.
However, the Judge remarked "in the case of this nature, the prosecuting agency will not allow its case to go by default. Moreover, it is for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to decide the issue".
Khan, who was arrested in the first week of March by ED, is currently in judicial custody on charges of massive money laundering, tax evasion and stashing away huge amounts in foreign banks.
Opposing Khan's bail plea, Additional Solicitor General, Darius Khambata, submitted ED was going to file chargesheet in the next few days and needed Khan's custody again for three days.
Khan is suspected to have stashed away $8 billion abroad, he said.
Investigations had reached a very crucial stage and granting him bail at this juncture would jeopardise the case as he was an influential person with wide contacts inside the country and abroad, Khambata argued.
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