New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed
the special judge dealing with the Rs 133 crore urea scam,
that had rocked the P V Narasimha Rao government, to complete
the trial within four months.
A bench of Justices R V Raveendran and R M Lodha also
directed the investigating agency CBI to meet "whatever
reasonable medical expenses" of 63-year old Brazilian born A E
Pinto, one of the key accused in the case.
The bench passed the direction on an application moved by
Pinto`s wife Eugenia Teles pleading that the accused had no
financial resources to meet his medical treatment at a private
hospital in the city for multiple health problems.
Pinto, who was settled in London, was extradited to India
after his arrest in 1997 for being the alleged recipient of
1.2 million US dollar kickbacks in the non-existent deal with
the Turkish firm "Karsan."
He was in jail for over five years before being released
on bail in February 2003 on condition that he would not leave
Delhi until the trial by the special CBI court was completed.
Pinto was earlier permitted by the trial court to leave the
country for medical treatment abroad provided he furnished a
bank guarantee to the tune of Rs 40 lakh, which he could not
do.
In the meantime, he suffered a paralytic stroke and
developed multiple health problems, following which he was
shifted to a private nursing home.
Pinto`s wife, who is in London moved, an application
though counsel Wills Mathews before the apex court pleading
that since the accused was bankrupt having been detained
in India since 1997, CBI should be asked to bear the expenses
which had shot up to Rs 1.20 lakh.
She also submitted that the Pinto was under tremendous
mental and physical trauma as the trial was yet to be
completed though it commenced in November 2002.
The apex court, while directing CBI to meet the
reasonable medical expenditure of Pinto, however, turned down
the plea for a personal medical attendant to the accused`s at
the State`s cause.
Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal and senior
counsel J S Attri appeared for union government.
PTI
