HC asks police to respond to bail plea of Sukesh Chandrashekar’s wife in Rs 200 crore extortion case

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of the Delhi Police to a plea by Leena Paulose, the wife of conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, seeking bail in a Rs 200 crore extortion case.

Justice D K Sharma issued notice to the Delhi Police on the bail plea of the woman who has challenged a trial court’s order denying her the relief.

The counsel for Paulose submitted that most of the offences for which she has been booked are bailable and claimed she has no direct connection with her husband, the main accused.

The counsel said Paulose is entitled to bail being a woman.

The bail plea was opposed by the counsel appearing for police who said it was a serious case where Chandrashekhar has been accused of making calls from jail impersonating as high dignitaries and that there was a clear conspiracy between Paulose and her husband.

The police’s counsel sought time to file a reply to the bail plea.

The high court listed the matter for further hearing on February 2.

The Delhi Police had earlier registered an FIR against Chandrashekar for allegedly duping the spouses of the former promoters of pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of Rs 200 crore.

Chandrashekhar and Paulose, who are also facing proceedings in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate, were arrested by the Delhi Police.

The police recently invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.

The Delhi Police had alleged that Paulose and Chandrashekhar along with others used Hawala routes and created shell companies to park the money earned as proceeds of crime.