Loan fraud case: Why didn’t CBI object to bail to Kochhars, asks SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the CBI for not objecting to the re-extension of the two-week interim bail granted in January this year to former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her businessman husband Deepak Kochhar in a loan fraud case.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi asked Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the CBI, why the investigating agency did not oppose the multiple extensions of interim bail granted to them by the Bombay High Court on January 9.

“This order is dated January 9 and has been granted interim bail for two weeks only. Why don’t you resist? Why are you letting it go on for so long? In our view, this application has failed as the impugned order is only for a fortnight. You should have filed an objection there (supreme court),” the bench said.

Justice Trivedi asked Raju about the next date of hearing in the Supreme Court. The lawyer told the judge that a new date has not yet been announced.

“You should have moved the high court,” Justice Trivedi said, after which Raju told him he would ask his counterpart in Bombay to approach the high court.

The bench posted the CBI’s plea challenging the High Court’s January 9 order for October 16 and asked Raju to seek directions as to what should be done.