Police raid Roy's home, fail to arrest him

Sahara chief moves SC for warrant cancellation

A team of Lucknow police on Thursday raided the house of Sahara chief Subrata Roy to execute the Supreme Court’s non-bailable arrest warrant against him but failed to find him. Roy, meanwhile, was reported to have approached the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of the warrant and undertaking to appear before it on March 4.

High drama was seen at Sahara City, which houses the residence and some offices of Roy, when the police team reached there around 4.30 pm. The team failed to find him despite entry into and exit from the premises, spread over 270 acres, being blocked.

 

Roy’s lawyers had on Wednesday told the Supreme Court he was by the side of his ailing mother, holding her hands. A medical certificate from Sahara Hospital was also produced. Asked if the police had searched Sahara Hospital, Ajit Singh Chauhan, the local station house officer who led the police team, said Roy was not present there, either.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Trans Gomti, Habibul Hasan told PTI the police team met Roy’s mother and doctors but not Roy. He added the police would do whatever it could to execute the warrant issued by the Supreme Court and produce Roy before the Court on March 4, the deadline.

Meanwhile, Roy tendered an “unconditional apology” to the Supreme Court for his non-appearance in a contempt case and sought recall of the non-bailable warrant issued against him. Moving the apex court a day after it issued the warrant, under a bonafide belief that the Court would permit him personal exemption from appearance for one day, he said he had “erred” by not appearing the previous day.

“The applicant (Roy), however, is presenting himself before this court as it has always been his resolve to uphold the dignity and majesty of law. The applicant has the highest regard for the judiciary and more particularly for this court and he cannot think about any violation or non-compliance of the directions passed by this court,” Roy’s application said.

Besides seeking recall of the arrest warrant, the application also sought a stay on execution of the warrant during pendency of the plea.