[ICICI Videocon Loan Fraud Case] Bombay HC Asks CBI To File Reply In Plea Filed by Venugopal Dhoot

A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice PK Chavan on Tuesday said that it will hear the plea filed by Videocon Group Chairman Venugopal Dhoot's plea for quashing of FIR against him registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday.

The counsel for the CBI today sought time from the court to file its reply in the case.

Venugopal Dhoot was arrested by the CBI and sent to judicial custody by a Special Judge on 29 December 2022. The plea was mentioned before the division of Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice PK Chavan, who had earlier granted bail to the Former ICICI CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar on a cash bail of Rs. 1 Lakh.

Venugopal Dhoot was arrested after Chanda Kochhar granted a loan of Rs. 3250 crores to the Videocon Group which were later declared as Non-Performing Assets. Allegedly, Venugopal Dhoot, as a quid pro quo, made investments in the company of Deepak Kochhar.

Dhoot had earlier filed a plea before the Special Judge seeking to declare his arrest as illegal. However, the special judge rejected his contentions while declaring his arrest as legal and remanding him to judicial custody.

Dhoot then moved the high court challenging the order of the Special Judge.

In his plea, Dhoot mentioned that the CBI had arrested him illegally in contravention of Section 41A of the CrPC and Arnesh Kumar guidelines. Further, the plea stated, that Dhoot had complied with all the notices issued by the CBI and had co-operated with the investigating agency. He also relied on High Court’s observation while granting him bail in the connected case registered by the ED.

His plea stated “The arrest by the Respondent No.1 is illegal and the reasons and justifications thereof are completely baseless, unfounded and contrary to due procedure of law.”

While pointing out health conditions of Dhoot, the plea stated:

“The Petitioner is a 70 years old senior citizen who as per the health records from various hospitals and eminent doctors, cannot maintain himself on his own without assistance. The Petitioner is a high-risk individual suffering from several ailments which make him vulnerable to even minor exposures especially due to his advanced age.”

The petition has been filed by Venugopal Dhoot through Advocate Sandeep Laddha.

Case Title: Venugopal Nandlal Dhoot vs CBI