The Supreme Court has directed for maintaining status quo on a Delhi High Court's order to release former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh on bail in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra, B R Gavai and Krishna Murari said that until further orders, status quo with regard to the High Court's judgement of July 23 should be maintained.
Acting on an appeal by the ED, the court directed that the High Court's order should not be treated as a precedent in any other case.
The court sought a reply from Singh and posted the matter for consideration next week.
Singh was arrested in the ED's case on December 12, 2019. It was alleged that he had misappropriated or siphoned off money lent by Religare Finvest Ltd to entities owned and controlled by him. Of which, Rs 2036 Cr went into default.
The High Court has granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs one crore and two sureties of Rs 25 lakh each. Among the grounds, it has pointed out that the consequences of pre-trial detention are deleterious and that keeping an undertrial in jail seriously jeopardises the preparation of his legal defence.