SC grants parole to businessman to perform mother's last rites

The Supreme Court has granted parole to businessman Paras Mal Lodha, arrested in connection with alleged illegal conversion of over Rs 25 crore in scrapped currency notes, to perform the last rites of his mother.
A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar ordered his release on parole till March 28 to attend the funeral of his mother in Kolkata. It said he will be accompanied by CBI officers during the period.
The apex court noted that Lodha was being taken to Chennai on March 8 for obtaining formal orders in another case and released him during the journey when his train reached Nagpur the next day, considering the urgency of the matter.

"The petitioner shall have the concession of parole upto March 28, on the condition that he shall be accompanied 24x7, by police officers in CBI cadre not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul, said.
It, however, left it open to the accused to choose the mode of transport and security officers accompanying him.
"It shall be open to the petitioner to choose the mode of transport as also that of security personnel accompanying him. In such an event, the petitioner shall be liable to pay for his own travel as also the travel of the security personnel accompanying him as well as their boarding and lodging (during the period)," it said.

It directed that the police officers accompanying Lodha shall ensure his return to Delhi's Tihar Jail, where he shall surrender on March 29.

Lodha was arrested on December 21, 2016 for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy with lawyer Rohit Tandon in converting demonetised notes into new currency for a commission which constituted the offence of money laundering.
The Enforcement Directorate, which filed a charge sheet in the case last month, had alleged that the new currency, which was given to banks and government officials, appeared to have been misappropriated by Lodha and others for monetary gain, thereby "cheating public at large" and causing monetary loss to the government.

Lodha was charge-sheeted for alleged offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust by public servant or by banker, merchant or agent and criminal conspiracy under the IPC, besides provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).