New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (February 18) dismissed a plea filed by alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar seeking to shift him from Delhi’s Mandoli Jail to any other jail in the country barring Punjab and Delhi jails, calling it an abuse of the process of law.
“You have money to spend, you keep on taking chances. This is abuse of process of law. How can you keep filing same petition?” a bench comprising Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice PB Varale told Chandrashekhar’s counsel while taking note that similar pleas filed by him were earlier dismissed by the top court.
The bench said that Chandrashekhar has tried to misuse process of law by filing petitions one after another under guise of changed circumstances.
Petitioner has tried to misuse process of law by filing writs one after another: Apex Court
“We are not inclined to entertain the petition filed under Article 32 of the constitution. We have not expressed opinion on merits of the case. However, we cannot resist ourselves in expressing that present petitioner (Chandrashekhar) has tried to misuse process of law by filing writs one after another under guise of changed circumstances,” the bench said.
We are worried about society and its safety also: Apex Court
Senior advocate Shoeb Alam, who appeared for Chandrasekhar, argued before the bench that petitioner Chandrashekhar had a right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India not to be kept away from his family and sought he be sent to any jail in Karnataka or near it.
The bench rejected the submissions of Alam, saying his fundamental rights cannot be enforced at the cost of others.
“We are worried about society and its safety also. Your (Chandrashekhar) fundamental rights cannot be enforced at the cost of others. Look at the kind of allegations you levelled against the officers,” the bench said.
What did Chandrashekhar seek?
Chandrashekhar sought to be shifted from any other jail in the country except jails in Delhi and Punjab where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not in power, claiming he was put under surveillance with two cameras in order to pressure him to withdraw his complaints.
The top court earlier dismissed Chandrashekhar and his wife’s plea, raising security concerns, seeking a direction to the authorities concerned to shift them from Mandoli Jail in the national capital to a prison outside Delhi.
Cnadrashekhar and his wife Leena Paulose are currently lodged in judicial custody on charges of money laundering and cheating.
