The Supreme Court declined to extend the deadline for Dheeraj Wadhawan, former promoter of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation, to surrender in connection with a bank loan fraud case.
Previously, on August 5, the apex court dismissed the medical bail granted by the Delhi High Court last September and mandated his surrender within two weeks.
Wadhawan is implicated in a substantial bank loan fraud exceeding ₹34,000 crores, reportedly the most significant case of its kind in India.
“We are not willing to extend the surrender timeline as requested by Wadhawan. However, acknowledging his potential need for medical care as per reports from AIIMS Hospital, we instruct the CBI and prison authorities to ensure he is taken every Saturday morning to the orthopaedic department at AIIMS, New Delhi,” said Justices Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma.
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing Wadhawan, argued that his client has serious medical issues requiring surgical intervention.
However, the Supreme Court dismissed Sibal’s claims, stating, “You (Wadhawan) can go to prison. The CBI and jail officials will ensure you receive hospital treatment as needed.”
The Wadhawan brothers, Kapil and Dheeraj, were arrested in July 2022.
An FIR filed by the Union Bank of India alleges that the Wadhawan brothers and others conspired to defraud a consortium of 17 banks. They allegedly persuaded the consortium to approve loans totaling ₹42,871 crores, misappropriating a major share of these funds and resulting in a loss of approximately ₹34,000 crores to lenders.
