ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Non-bailable warrant issued against Win Chadha

Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke today issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against former Bofors agent Win Chadha while granting bail to former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar in the Rs 640 million Bofors kickbacks case.

Adjourning the case to February 3, 2000, Bharihoke also issued fresh summons to the A B Bofors Company and its former president Martin Ardbo as both had refused to accept the summons in their present form.

Bharihoke was told by the Central Bureau of Investigation that more time was needed to extradite Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi from Malaysia, against whom the judge had issued non-bailable warrants on November 4 while taking cognisance of the CBI chargesheet.

Granting bail to Bhatnagar, Bharihoke directed him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 200,000 and a surety of the same amount.

Special public prosecutor N Natarajan told the court that a CBI team had gone to Malaysia, where Quattrocchi is presently staying, and handed over the requisite documents to the Malaysian authorities. However, more time was needed to extradite him, he added. Win Chadha, who is staying in Dubai and against whom Bharihoke had issued summons on the last hearing, had refused to accept the summons served through the Indian embassy.

His lawyers had cited several provisions of the Indian law, including Section 7 (a) of the Criminal Procedure Code, about the manner in which summons were to be issued to Indians residing abroad, the counsel said.

In view of Chadha's refusal to obey the summons, the court today issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report