Supreme Court issues non-bailable warrant, directs Centre to investigate escape
NEW DELHI: In a shocking turn of events, an NRI held guilty of contempt by the Supreme Court has managed to flee to the US, despite his passport being in the court’s custody. Taking strong exception to this violation, the apex court has ordered his arrest and directed the Centre to investigate how he escaped and who assisted him, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Court had barred Manish Chhokar from leaving India over custody dispute
Manish Chhokar, the NRI in question, was charged with contempt for failing to comply with a Supreme Court order mandating him to hand over custody of his 10-year-old son to his former wife. The custody transfer was part of a divorce settlement aimed at resolving their legal disputes.
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During the last hearing on January 22, Chhokar was absent despite being required to appear
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His lawyer, senior advocate Vikas Singh, assured the court that he would be present on the next hearing date, January 29
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However, Chhokar failed to appear again, and it was revealed that he had left for the US, allegedly due to his son’s ill health
SC expresses shock, demands probe into escape without a passport
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Prashant Kumar Mishra expressed disbelief at how Chhokar could leave the country without a passport. The court promptly issued a non-bailable warrant against him, stating:
“We are amazed as to how the alleged contemnor can leave for the US without a passport, as his passport is in the custody of this court. Be that as it may, today we have no option but to issue a non-bailable warrant against Manish Chhokar.”
The bench further directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to take all necessary legal steps to secure Chhokar’s arrest and bring him back to India. Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj was tasked with assisting the court in uncovering how Chhokar was allowed to leave the country without the court’s permission.
The court also ordered an inquiry to identify the officials and individuals who facilitated his escape, ensuring that those responsible face legal consequences.
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