NEW DELHI: An NRI, Manish Chhokar, who was found prima facie guilty of contempt of court by the Supreme Court and had his passport deposited with the court, managed to flee to the United States. In response to his actions, the court has directed the Centre to take immediate steps for his arrest and to investigate who helped him escape the country.
Chhokar had been charged with contempt for failing to comply with the court’s order to hand over the custody of his 10-year-old son to his former wife, as part of a settlement following their divorce.
During a previous hearing on January 22, Chhokar was absent from court, which violated the court’s order. However, his senior counsel, Vikas Singh, assured the bench that Chhokar would be present at the next hearing. When Chhokar failed to appear on January 29, the court was informed that he had left for the US to be with his son, who was reportedly unwell and living there with Chhokar’s second wife.
Taking strong exception to Chhokar’s attempt to escape the court’s jurisdiction, a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Prashant Kumar Mishra issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.
“We are stunned that the alleged contemnor can leave for the US or any other country without a passport, as his passport was in the custody of this court. Therefore, we have no choice but to issue a non-bailable warrant against Manish Chhokar,” the bench stated. “The warrant is to be executed in accordance with the law.”
The bench also directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to take all necessary steps under the law to apprehend Chhokar and ensure he faces justice. They have requested assistance from Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj to clarify how Chhokar was allowed to leave the country without his passport and the court’s permission. Furthermore, Nataraj has been asked to investigate who assisted Chhokar in fleeing the country and identify any officials or individuals involved in facilitating his escape.
