Delhi High Court upholds bail granted to Sanjeev Chawla

New Delhi, May 6: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld a Delhi court’s decision to grant bail to Sanjeev Chawla, who is an alleged key accused in one of cricket’s biggest match-fixing scandals involving former South African captain Hansie Cronje.

He had sought bail saying that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a risk of getting infected with the virus in jail where it is difficult to maintain social distancing, The Mint reporting.

Challenging the trial court’s bail order, the police sought cancellation of his bail on the ground that Chawla is a British national and it took 20 years to bring him back to India and there is likelihood of the his fleeing from justice.

“…this case brings to the fore the need for investigative agencies and the Government to consider the use of advances in technology to track under-trials in cases of this nature where the State may fear that an accused may flee from trial. Digital and electronic equipment, as presently used in America, ought to be introduced in India, so that a tracking system similar to the GPS Tracking System, can be used to monitor the movement of the accused released on bail, allowing the authorities to gather information all the time while permitting the accused to undertake the usual and ordinary activities of normal life,” the court order reads.

“The State has not succeeded in making out a case for cancellation of bail of the respondent/accused.”- it added.

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/delhi-high-court-upholds-bail-granted-to-sanjeev-chawla-11588790119680.html