NEW DELHI, Oct 22:
Bollywood producer Karim Morani, an accused in the 2G scam-related money laundering case, has been allowed to travel abroad for release of upcoming Shahrukh Khan-starrer movie ‘Happy New Year’ by the special court which observed filing of such pleas was aimed at wasting its time.
Special CBI Judge O P Saini allowed the application filed by Morani in which he had sought court’s permission to travel to Dubai from October 20 to October 27 saying that being the creative/associate producer of the film, he has been assigned the duty to make all arrangements for its successful premier.
Morani also said that the movie was going to be released in Dubai on October 22 and his presence was required there.
“In view of these factors, I do not find anything wrong in permitting the accused (Morani) to travel abroad. Having said that, I wish to put on record that applicant/accused is filing these applications quite frequently which result in wastage of substantial time of court and may, in certain circumstances, be rightfully seen and considered as aimed at deliberately wasting time of the court,” the judge said.
“I also have an apprehension that this tactics of filing repeated applications is aimed at wasting the time of court and the application can be dismissed on this ground alone. However, the accused has assured that he would desist himself from filing such an application in foreseeable future as his project abroad is complete. I hope the accused would mend his ways and keep his promise,” the judge abserved.
Enforcement Directorate had opposed Morani’s plea saying it was vague and the documents attached to it suffered from various deficiencies.
The agency alleged that Morani was frequently filing such pleas and was taking the court for granted and was misusing liberty.
Morani’s counsel, however, told the court that this was his last such application and he might not file such pleas in foreseeable future.
Morani, along with former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi, DMK supremo M Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal and others, was chargesheeted by ED in the money laundering case.
ED had filed a charge sheet against 19 accused, including nine firms, in the case. All the accused were earlier granted bail by the court.
Besides these accused, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar and P Amirtham are accused in the case.
Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, Kusegaon Realty Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd), Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd), Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd, Dynamix Realty, Eversmile Construction Company Pvt Ltd, Conwood Constructions and Developers (P) Ltd, DB Realty Ltd and Nihar Constructions Pvt Ltd have also been named as accused in the case.
ED, in its charge sheet, had alleged that the accused were involved in the Rs 200-crore money transaction which was not “bonafide” and “genuine” and it was a “bribe for grant of telecom licences to DB Group companies” by Raja. *(PTI)
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