SC asks govt to extend facilities to Subrata Roy for property sale

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Delhi government to examine what facilities it could extend to Sahara chief Subrata Roy and two other Sahara directors in Tihar jail complex, without compromising security, to facilitate negotiations for the sale of the group's properties located in India and abroad.

A bench of Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice Anil R. Dave and Justice A.K. Sikri, while asking the Delhi government to examine Sahara's plea, made it clear that the facilities to be extended to Roy will be only for facilitating the negotiations for sale of properties in order to comply with the directions of the court and not to extend him any comfort.

The court adjourned the hearing till Wednesday when it will take up the Delhi government's response to Sahara's plea.

It asked the Delhi government to come forward "one or two alternatives and what is most convenient" and the manner in which the confidentiality of buyer or lender could be maintained, added senior counsel KTS Tulsi, who appeared for Roy.

In the course of the hearing, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the court that Roy can bring secretarial staff and other equipment as sought in the application but they would not be allowed to have their own internet access.

The court was told that they would be provided with the wifi facilities being used by the Tihar Jail authorities protected by a pass word.

The solicitor general said that Roy and other two directors - Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary - would be allowed to use the guest house to facilitate their negotiations and not for lodging. After their work was over, they will have to return back to their barracks.