In a significant development, a special court has granted permission to relocate Kapil Wadhawan, one of the accused in a case linked to an alleged scam at Yes Bank, to a prison in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. This decision comes in the wake of reported “misconduct” by Wadhawan during multiple hospital visits, which had been extensively covered by certain news channels.
Kapil Wadhawan is a prominent figure and one of the promoters of Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL). He is currently facing multiple fraud cases under investigation by both the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Until now, he had been incarcerated in the Taloja jail, situated in the neighboring Navi Mumbai.
The order permitting the transfer of Wadhawan to Nashik was issued by Special Judge M G Deshpande, who presides over cases related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and CBI matters. Following the court’s decision, Wadhawan was immediately relocated to Nashik, as confirmed by sources.
The decision to move Wadhawan was prompted by recent reports from several news channels. These reports alleged that during their stays in state-run hospitals, Wadhawan and his co-accused brother, Dheeraj, had been meeting with relatives and utilizing mobile phones and laptops.
Subsequently, the higher prison authorities submitted an application to the special court, seeking Wadhawan’s transfer to a different prison facility. The application revealed that despite being admitted to state-run hospitals for various medical reasons, Wadhawan did not receive any actual medical treatment or undergo examinations by doctors during his hospital stays.
While acknowledging the general principle that courts should not be swayed by media publications or trials, the judge emphasized that if there was substantial evidence regarding the misconduct of accused individuals involved in serious offenses, as reported by the Higher Prison Authority and supported by the record, the court must take these reports into consideration.
The order noted that Wadhawan had not reported any severe illness in his court applications, but the jail superintendent of Taloja prison had referred him to hospitals on 15 occasions between June and August 2023. Consequently, the judge approved the relocation of Wadhawan to Nashik Road Jail, citing the need to address the reported issues of misconduct and abuse of privileges during hospital visits.
