The Rajasthan High Court has stayed arrest warrants issued against former Union Minister Arun Shourie and another accused in a case registered over the disinvestment of India Tourism Development Corporation-owned Laxmi Vilas Palace Hotel in Udaipur in 2002.
A special court had last week asked the CBI to file cases against Mr. Shourie and four others in connection with the hotel's sale.
Justice Dinesh Mehta at the High Court's principal seat in Jodhpur directed Mr. Shourie to appear before the trial court on any day by October 15 and furnish a personal bail bond of ₹2 lakh and two sureties of ₹1 lakh each. The court also granted interim relief from arrest to the other accused , who was the disinvested hotel's valuer, and asked him to appear in the trial court on October 8.
The hotel was sold for ₹7.52 crore when Mr. Shourie was the Minister in-charge of disinvestment in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre. During a preliminary investigation by the CBI, the property was valued at ₹252 crore, suggesting a loss of ₹244 crore to the exchequer.
The High Court had on Tuesday granted interim relief to three other persons over arrest warrants issued by the special court, which had rejected the final closure report filed by the CBI. The CBI told the High Court that no irregularity was committed in filing the report, while the Centre's Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju contended that the trial court's order was not in conformity with law.
Mr. Shourie's counsel, Prashant Bhushan, said through video-conferencing that the special court had erred in passing the order to issue arrest warrant, as there was no urgency to summon him, especially because he was not even named in the first information report.
Mr. Shourie also sought exemption from appearance in person for furnishing the bond and sureties, while citing his age and ill-health.
