Too many zeros

Drama unfolded during a hearing of the Sahara case at the Supreme Court last week when a new buyer offered to pay double the amount the first prospective buyer had offered for a Gorakhpur property being sold by the group to raise money for the bail of group honcho Subrata Roy. Even as the Sahara lawyers questioned the credibility of the new buyer and his ability to pay, the lawyer for the original buyer waved a bank draft for Rs 12.8 crore and a cheque for Rs 50 crore. Trying to take a closer look at these, the judge asked the lawyer, "Have you counted the zeros properly?", somewhat easing the tension building up in the courtroom. He went on to issue directions to verify with the bank if there were sufficient funds in the account to honour the Rs 50 crore cheque.