HC tells Sanjay Dalmia to appear before EOW tomorrow

Delhi-based businessman Sanjay Dalmia today approached the Bombay high court seeking permission to go abroad but a division bench asked him to first appear before Economic Offences Wing (EOW) here in connection with a cheating case filed by Indiabulls Financial Service.

The court, on November 13, had asked him to appear before EOW on Monday but he did not comply with the directive. As Dalmia sought the court's permission today to go abroad he was asked to first comply with the condition of appearing before EOW.

The court had earlier refused to quash the FIR filed by EOW against Dalmia, chief promoter of the cigarette manufacturer Golden Tobacco Company.

Indiabulls Financial Services, which had lent Rs225 crore to Dalmia group companies, has filed a complaint against Dalmia and others, alleging cheating.

After the value of shares offered as security by the Dalmia group went down after the fall in stock market, the group offered additional security worth Rs70 crore in the shape of property in Mehrouli near Delhi.

But Indiabulls Financial Services later allegedly found out that this property was in somebody else's name and filed an FIR against Dalmia and others.

Division bench of justices JN Patel and Amjed Sayed last week rejected Dalmia's plea to quash the FIR, saying that the court would not like to interfere in the probe and directed that EOW must give 72 hours' notice to Sanjay Dalmia if it wants to arrest him.