The Supreme Court has given a big blow to former Haryana MLA Dharam Singh Chhokkar in the money laundering case. Chhokkar, accused of fraud of more than Rs 600 crore, has been ordered by the court to surrender immediately in jail. He had tried to extend bail on medical grounds, but the court rejected his plea saying that he had misled the court.
Chokkar was earlier granted medical bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on June 19 for surgery, but he neither underwent surgery nor expressed his desire to get treatment in hospitals like AIIMS. Documents have revealed that he was seen roaming openly after being discharged from the hospital on July 5. The court termed this behavior as “abuse of law” and said that this case shows how influential people play with the system.
The arguments given by Chhokkar’s lawyer during the hearing were termed false and misleading by the court. The judges reprimanded the lawyer in open court and said that such actions hurt the dignity of the justice system.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Dharam Singh Chhokkar from a Delhi hotel on May 5. He was absconding for two years and is accused of defrauding thousands of home buyers in Gurugram of more than ₹600 crore.
The Supreme Court clarified that medical bail was granted only once and there is no justification to extend it now. The court has given a final order to Chhokkar to surrender by July 12.