New Delhi: A former Supreme Court employee, who was arrested for allegedly fudging an order in favour of industrialist Anil Ambani, was Friday granted bail by Patiala House Courts.
Tapan Chakraborty, 57, will be released from jail later tonight. His 29-year-old daughter, Moumita Chakraborty, stood as personal bond for him and deposited Rs 50,000 worth surety bond. It is believed that Tapan may leave for Kolkata tonight.
Tapan was among those named in a Supreme Court affidavit, alleging a larger conspiracy against CJI Ranjan Gogoi, who is in the centre of a sexual harassment controversy.
The affidavit, filed by Chandigarh-based advocate Utsav Singh Bains, has alleged that “fixers” are at work behind the sexual harassment charges that a former SC employee has brought against Gogoi.
The CJI had dismissed Chakraborty and a former court master, Manav Sharma, who was also named in the SC affidavit, after it was found that they had allegedly deliberately mixed up posting an order through which the Supreme Court had directed Reliance Communications chairman Anil Ambani to personally appear in a contempt of court case.
Chakraborty and Sharma were booked on 1 March for forgery and cheating, on a complaint filed by Colonel (retired) K.B. Marwah, an additional registrar (security) at Supreme Court.
A five-member team had carried out an exhaustive probe for over a month. According to sources, Chakraborty had absconded from his government accommodation after which the police tracked him through his mobile phone. Both Chakraborty and Sharma were arrested on 8 April.
Also read: How Anil Ambani’s bankrupt RCom got entangled in CJI Gogoi sexual harassment controversy
‘Accused could be of no harm if released on bail’
Advocate Rishi Malhotra argued the matter assisted by advocate Sahil Munjal before the court of special Sessions Judge M.K. Nagpal, saying the accused had already been extensively interrogated for over 10 days and given that he had already been terminated from his official post, he could be of no harm if released on bail.
The court observed that since no purpose would be served by keeping Chakraborty in custody any longer, the bail application was allowed. Earlier, a lower court had rejected his bail plea.
ThePrint had exclusively reported earlier this week that Delhi Police’s Crime Branch claimed that “other persons have also misused their position in the office to give undue advantage to the ‘same person’”. According to the Crime Branch document, they arrived at the conclusion following Chakraborty and Sharma’s interrogation.
Also read: ‘Conspiracy’, tantrums, apology — how SC hearing unfolded in case about CJI Gogoi
(With inputs from Ritika Jain)