The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea seeking the cancellation of bail of Dheeraj Wadhawan- the former promoter of the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL)- in a multi-crore rupees bank loan scam case.

Seeking a response from Dheeraj Wadhawan, a bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kuma posted the matter for hearing in the week commencing April 28.

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The investigating agency has approached the top court challenging the September 2024 Delhi High Court order granting bail to Dheeraj Wadhawan on medical grounds.

Appearing for the investigating agency, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju told the court that Wadhawan was a 45-year-old man with no history of serious ailments.

Citing the medical reports of Wadhawan, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, however, told the court that his client had issues with the kidneys, spine, and heart.

Dheeraj and Kapil Wadhawan were arrested in July 2022.

On December 3, 2022, trial court granted them statutory bail, holding that the CBI’s charge sheet against them and 73 other accused in October 2022 was incomplete. The Delhi High Court upheld the trial court’s decision in May 2023.

However, in January 2024, the Supreme Court, on CBI’s plea, cancelled their bail and set aside the High Court order, as the CBI had filed its charge sheet within a 90-day statutory period.

The case relates to an FIR based on a complaint by the Union Bank of India (UBI). The CBI said that the Wadhawan brothers and other accused engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud a UBI-led consortium of 17 banks.

The CBI alleged that the accused induced the consortium of 17 banks to sanction loans amounting to Rs 42,871.42 crore, much of which was siphoned off and misappropriated through the falsification of DHFL’s financial records and the wilful default on repayments of the legitimate dues of the consortium of banks.