Religare case: SC stays bail granted to ex-Fortis promoter Shivinder Singh

The Supreme Court has stayed the bail granted to former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh in a money laundering case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL).

A bench comprising justices Arun Mishra, B.R. Gavani and Krishna Murari on Friday passed the direction on a plea moved by the Enforcement Directorate against a Delhi High Court judgement granting bail to Singh.

The apex court order came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, submitted that the high court did not consider the grounds raised by the agency.

Until further orders, status quo with respect to release from jail be maintained and impugned judgment (of HC) not to be treated as a precedent for any other case. Reply, if any, be filed in the meantime, the apex court said.

The high court on July 23 granted bail to Singh, saying it does not perceive any grave threat to the interests of the society or the public at large with his release.

One of the main grounds raised by the ED's special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana before the HC was that Singh smuggled and used a mobile phone while in custody.

The high court had granted the bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs one crore and two sureties by family members of Rs 25 lakh each, while imposing various other bail conditions on him, including that he shall not tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses, directly or indirectly.

The trial court had earlier denied bail to Singh in the matter, after which he approached the HC.

He was arrested in the money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and in the fraud case by Economic Offence Wing of Delhi police on December 12 and October 10 last year respectively. He has not been granted bail in the EOW's case yet.

The ED in January had filed a charge sheet against former Fortis Healthcare promoters Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Singh and others in the money laundering case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at RFL.

RFL is a group firm of REL - Religare Enterprises Ltd - which was earlier promoted by Malvinder Singh and his brother Shivinder Singh.

The EOW registered an FIR in March last year after it received a complaint from RFL's Manpreet Suri against Shivinder, Malvinder, Godhwani, former CEO of REL Kavi Arora and former CFO of RFL Anil Saxena and others, alleging that loans were taken by them while managing the firm but the money was invested in other companies.

The ED lodged a money laundering case based on this.