Pass early order on plea, Subrata to SC

Facing the heat, jailed Sahara chief Subrata Roy today made a plea before the Supreme Court to >pass an early order on his petition challenging his detention, saying temperature in the capital has gone up and he is not feeling well in jail. “The temperature has soared up and the gentleman is not well,” senior advocate Rajiv Dhawan, appearing for Sahara group, told a bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar. Roy and the other two directors of the Group have been in judicial custody since March 4 for not abiding by the apex court’s order for depositing Rs 20,0000000000 of investors money with SEBI. Dhawan made his submission at the end of court’s proceedings in a contempt case against a person who had thrown ink at Roy when he was brought to the apex court on March 4. The court granted four weeks time to the alleged contemnor Manoj Sharma to file his response in the case in which it had taken suo motu cognisance. The Supreme Court had on April 21 reserved its order on Roy’s petition challenging its decision to send him to jail in the case relating to non—refund of investors money. It had also agreed to consider Sahara’s proposal for paying Rs 10,0000000000 for getting bail to its chief Subrata Roy and two directors who are in Tihar jail in judicial custody since March 4. In its new proposal, Sahara group had assured the court that it will pay Rs 3,0000000000 within three—four working days and another Rs 2,0000000000 in cash by May 30. It also submitted that they would furnish a bank guarantee of another Rs 5,0000000000 on or before June 20. The apex court had imposed a condition that Roy will be freed on bail only if he pays Rs 10,0000000000 out of which Rs 5,0000000000 has to be in bank guarantee and rest Rs 5,0000000000 in cash. PTI AAC RKS VMN 04301607