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Hindujas move high court for permission to go abroad

A Correspondent in New Delhi

The three Hinduja brothers on Saturday moved the Delhi high court, challenging the order of the CBI special court denying them permission to go abroad.

Judge Ajit Bharihoke had, on Thursday, rejected the Hindujas' plea to be allowed to go abroad, since they had finished their interrogation by the CBI in the Bofors payoffs case.

In their petition before the high court, the brothers have contended that they should be allowed to go abroad as their business interests were suffering owing to their continued presence in India, and that they are willing to stand trial in the case, about which they had even petitioned the lower court.

The petition is expected to come up for hearing on Monday.

The main contention of the Hindujas is that the order of the lower court should be immediately stayed and set aside. They have said in their petition that the apprehensions of the lower court that they will not come back are totally unfounded because they had come to India voluntarily and presented themselves before the special court. Even after getting British citizenship, Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja had visited India twice in March and June 1999. They also said they had voluntarily submitted to the investigating judge in Switzerland. They had also availed of the PIO scheme of the Government of India.

Employing over 25,000 people in their global operations, they have to frequently attend meetings concerning their business, and they have asked the high court to direct the CBI to withdraw the lookout notices issued against them internationally. They have assured the court that they will join the trial proceedings as and when required. They have asked the high court to revise the bail order issued by the lower court which had placed certain conditions on them and forbids them from leaving the country without the prior permission of the trial court.

The matter will now come up before Justice S K Aggarwal of the Delhi high court on Monday.

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