The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government to submit details of the health status of the Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) promoters, Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan, lodged in the Arthur Road jail.
The father-son duo were arrested on charges of money laundering in connection with the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank fraud. The Wadhawans along with PMC Bank officials are accused of having duped the bank of ₹6,670 crore, where loans were granted to HDIL without following due processes. The duo had moved for bail on the grounds that inmates of Arthur Road jail were infected by COVID-19 and expressed apprehensions of contracting the virus.
Senior advocate Amit Desai, representing the Wadhawans, informed the HC that if they were granted bail, they would observe self-quarantine and would be available at the given address.
But this was opposed by assistant public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde, who said that the prison authorities had taken adequate measures for the safety of the prisoners, and that the apprehensions expressed by the Wadhawans were unfounded.
A single Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre said the Wadhawans were safer in the jail than being out, but directed the jail authorities to submit details of the precautionary measures put in place to protect prisoners from contracting the virus.
The HC also asked the authorities to submit a report with details of the barracks in which the Wadhawans were kept, and posted the matter for hearing on June 12.