Subrata Roy didn’t go abroad despite permission: Sahara

Seeking to reject any “impression” that its chief Subrata Roy wanted to go abroad before incarceration, embattled Sahara group on Monday said that he returned to the country on being summoned and later did not leave India even after the Supreme Court’s permission.

Objecting to Sebi lawyer Arvind Datar’s comments about Roy having sought permission to go abroad weeks before being jailed, Sahara’s counsel Gautam Awasthi said his statement “tends to mislead by creating an impression as if ‘Saharasri’ Subrata Roy Sahara wanted to go abroad before incarceration”.

Roy is referred to as ‘Saharasri’ in his group, which has been engaged in a long-drawn battle with Sebi over the collection of funds, totalling nearly Rs 25,000 crore, from an estimated three crore investors through certain bonds named Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures.

“Before the SC asked him (Roy) to appear, he filed an application to say that he wanted to leave India...He said he wanted to leave India to meet Bill Clinton and Tony Blair for business discussion. It is on record,” Datar had said last Friday. He also said that the court’s order on March 4, 2014, had come as a surprise.

“I don’t know what happened. The court called the court marshal and sent him to jail...it was so abrupt. He was asked to come to court and I thought they may ask him to do something,” he had said.

Reacting to Datar’s comments, Awasthi said, “The fact is that, ‘Saharasri’ was abroad and immediately returned to the country on being summoned. In November 2013, the SC had restrained ‘Saharasri’ and other directors from leaving the country without permission. It is important to state that subsequently Saharasri was granted permission by Supreme Court to travel abroad for two weeks, yet he did not go abroad.”