नई दिल्ली: सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने निवेशकों को 27,000 करोड़ रुपये लौटाने के आदेश का पालन नहीं करने के लिए सहारा समूह को लगायी फटकार लगाई है। सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने सहारा से कहा, आपकी नीयत बहुत डगमगा रही है। आपने जो कदम उठाया है वह सही नहीं है। कोर्ट ने निवेशकों का धन लौटाने के मामले में सहारा से कहा आप अपने अनुचित काम को न्यायोचित ठहरा रहे हैं। सहारा ग्रुप पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने सख्ती बरतते हुए सोमवार को पूछा कि क्या सहारा हफ्तेभर में लोगों का 27 हज़ार करोड़ दे पाएगा।
सहारा समूह की दो रियल एस्टेट कम्पनियों की याचिका पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने सुनवाई करते हुए सहारा समूह को फटकार लगाई है। कम्पनियों ने प्रतिभूति अपीलीय न्यायाधिकरण (एसएटी) द्वारा अपनी याचिका गुरुवार को खारिज किए जाने को चुनौती दी थी। कम्पनियों ने एसएटी में याचिका दाखिल कर उसे अपने पंजीयक को 5,120 करोड़ रुपये का अदायगी आदेश स्वीकार करने का निर्देश देने का अनुरोध किया था। कम्पनियों को यह राशि निवेशकों के जमा भुगतान के लिए भारतीय प्रतिभूति एवं विनिमय बोर्ड (सेबी) के पास जमा करानी थी। गौरतलब है कि सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने ही सहारा समूह की रियल स्टेट कम्पनियों को निवेशकों के पैसे लौटाने का निर्देश अगस्त में दिया था। इस संबंध में अगली सुनवाई मंगलवार को होनी है। यह सुनवाई सहारा ग्रुप की दो रियल एस्टेट कंपनियों की याचिका पर होनी है।
Your intention is shaky, Supreme Court tells Sahara
The Supreme Court today criticized the Sahara group for not complying with its order to refund around Rs. 27,000 crore to investors. "Whatever it is you have defaulted, every step is shady. You are not entitled to say anything. All you are trying is to justify you conduct." These observations were made by the Chief Justice of India, Altamas Kabir, at a hearing on a Sahara group petition seeking more time to make the payment.
“You are justifying your conduct which is unjustifiable,” the court told Sahara, PTI reported. “Your intention is very shaky… every step taken by you is shaky.” On Friday, November 30, the Sahara group moved the Supreme Court against the order of the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) dismissing its appeal against market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in a case involving the refund to about three crore investors.
The counsel for Sahara told the bench that the company was ready with a draft of Rs. 5,100 crore for deposit in the court's registry. In their appeal before the SAT, two Sahara group firms—Sahara India Real Estate Corp and Sahara Housing Investment Corp—had sought the SAT’s intervention in the refund and had accused SEBI of wrongly charging them of non-compliance with a Supreme Court order in that regard.
The SAT, however, had said that any further direction in the case could be sought and granted by the Supreme Court alone and dismissed the appeal. Sahara has argued that the SEBI is not accepting the money or documents from it. SEBI has said the matter should go to the same bench of the court which passed the order to refund. "We are only helping the investors get back their money. We are not interfering and not changing the order," the Supreme Court said today.
The Supreme Court has directed Sahara to inform it by tomorrow if it will pay the money to SEBI. The court will take up the case for hearing tomorrow. On August 31, 2012, the Supreme Court had asked the companies to refund an estimated Rs. 24,000 crore collected from about three crore investors, through red herring prospectuses (documents for raising public funds) in March 2008 and October 2009, along with 15 per cent annual interest, to SEBI by November 30, 2012.
The Sahara companies were also asked to furnish all documents in their custody within 10 days, particularly the application forms submitted by subscribers, the approval and allotment of bids and all other documents to SEBI, so as to enable it to ascertain the genuineness of the subscribers as well as the amounts deposited. The regulator was asked to freeze the accounts and attach properties of the two firms in case they failed to furnish the documents and deposit the money.
Last week, SEBI began prosecution proceedings against the two firms and their top officials, while accusing them of failing to provide documents as per the Supreme Court order. "As the Saharas did not submit the documents as per the order dated August 31, 2012, of the Supreme Court, SEBI has filed contempt application before the Supreme Court," the market regulator said. The companies last week approached SAT seeking time till January 31, 2013, for submission of the documents. (एनडीटीवी)
