: Two Korean nationals, arrested

for alleged GST fraud and detained in a special camp for foreign nationals in Trichy, has approached the Madras High Court to release them on bail and permit them to stay at their private residence in Kancheepuram in view of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Admitting the pleas of Choe Jae Won and Choi Yong Suk, general manager and managing director of Chowel India Private Limited, manufacturers of car bumpers and seat frames, Justice S Vaidyanathan ordered notices to the Tamil Nadu government returnable by April 9.

The petitioners were arrested on June 24, 2019 for GST liability of Rs 40 crore. Though the company managed by the petitioners collected the GST from their customers they failed to remit it to the government.

When the plea came up for hearing on Tuesday, counsel for the petitioners submitted that there is no social distancing in the camp and it can accommodate only 40 people but 80 have been confined therein.

They further submitted that if anyone is infected with coronavirus, the life of other inmates, including the petitioners herein, would be put to danger.

The petitioners further assured the court that the petitioners would not step out of Kancheepuram district and would abide by any conditions that may be imposed by the court till the situation is restored to normalcy.

Opposing the pleas, V Jayaprakash Narayanan submitted that authorities are maintaining social distancing in the camp. However, he sought time to file the status report in this regard.

Recording the same, the court adjourned the hearing to April 9.

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