The Supreme Court pulled up the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for filing a plea seeking cancellation of bail of an accused suffering from cancer, saying he should not have wasted “stationery, legal fees and court time”.
A private bank employee has been arrested for embezzlement of Rs 24 crore.
A bench of Justices M R Shah and M M Sundaresh imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on the officer concerned for allowing the filing of the special leave petition.
“The Department should not have filed such special leave petition wasting the stationery, legal fees and time of the court. The special leave petition is dismissed with good cost, which is to be borne by the officer concerned, who allowed the special leave petition of Rs 1,00,000 to be recovered from the salary of such officer.
“The cost is to be deposited with the Registry of this Court by the Department within four weeks from today. On such deposits, Rs 50,000/- shall be transferred to the National Legal Services Authority, New Delhi and Rs 50,000/- to the Arbitration and Conciliation Project Committee, Supreme Court,” the bench said.
The agency had moved the apex court against the November 12, 2021, order of the Allahabad High Court, which had granted bail to the person, observing that he was suffering from malpractice.
The High Court had requested the concerned doctor of Kamala Nehru Hospital, Prayagraj, to scan the applicant and submit a report on his health status and stage of cancer.
