Coal scam accused can't go on "pleasure trips": Special Judge

High-profile accused in the coal block allocation scam cases were today warned by a special court against going overseas on "pleasure trips" in the garb of business travel.
The court said the accused, whose rights and liberty are curtailed, cannot take permission to go abroad for any other purpose other than pure business.
"I have been getting information that the accused are travelling to Thailand and Bangkok for pleasure trips. Once you are an accused, your rights and liberty are curtailed," Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said.
"I did not want to unnecessary trouble the accused but people have started going on pleasure trips. Now, I will allow pleas to go abroad strictly for business purposes only," the judge said.

"It cannot go on like this. The accused can not take permission to go abroad for business purposes and then enjoy pleasure trips," he said, without naming any accused.
The issue cropped up when advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, his son Devendra Darda and businessman Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, sought waiver of the bail condition that accused shall not leave India without prior permission of the court.
The counsel said that in a separate coal scam case, in which these three accused were earlier chargesheeted, the court had waived the similar bail condition.
The court had modified the bail condition on a plea filed by Devendra Darda and had said that before leaving the country, the accused shall intimate it within a week before the actual date of journey about his travel plan, itinerary and his contact addresses.