Loan Fraud Case: Bombay HC Grants Interim Bail To Videocon Group Founder Venugopal Dhoot

The Bombay High Court today granted interim bail to Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot, arrested by CBI in a loan fraud case.

The interim order was passed by Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice PK Chavan.

Dhoot had approached the High Court soon after the same bench had on January 9 granted bail to co-accused - Chanda Kochhar, former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the ICICI bank, and her husband Deepak Kochhar.

Dhoot's Advocate Sandeep Laddha had argued that Dhoot's arrest was unwarranted as he had co-operated in the probe.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), however, opposed the same saying that the Videocon Group founder had attempted to avoid the probe and hence the arrest was legal.

Dhoot, arrested by the central investigative agency on December 26, 2022 and presently in judicial custody, had moved the high court earlier this week seeking to quash the CBI FIR and sought to be released on bail by way of an interim order.

In his plea, Dhoot termed his arrest by CBI as "arbitrary, illegal, done without following due procedure of law and in gross violation of section 41 (A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which mandates for a notice to be issued to accused to join the probe and to make an arrest only if absolutely necessary".

In its order granting interim bail to the Kochhars, the HC had come down heavily on the CBI for making the arrest in a "casual and mechanical" manner and without application of mind.

The CBI has alleged that private sector lender ICICI Bank had sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of Rs 3,250 crore to the companies of Videocon Group promoted by Dhoot in violation of the Banking Regulation Act, Reserve Bank of India's guidelines, and credit policy of the bank.

The CBI had named Chanda Kochhar, Deepak Kochhar as well as Dhoot along with Nupower Renewables (NRL) managed by Deepak Kochhar, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries Ltd as accused in the FIR registered in 2019 under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The central agency has alleged that the ICICI Bank sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of Rs 3,250 crore to these companies in violation of norms.

It further alleged that as a part of quid pro quo, Dhoot made an investment of Rs 64 crore in Nupower Renewables through Supreme Energy Pvt Ltd (SEPL), and transferred SEPL to Pinnacle Energy Trust managed by Deepak Kochhar through a circuitous route between 2010 and 2012.

With PTI Inputs