Dowry case: Non-bailable warrant issued against int’l golfer after he fails to appear in court
Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Chandigarh, July 29
A local court issued a non-bailable warrant for international golfer Sujjan Singh today, who is accused in a dowry case filed by his golfer wife Irina Brar, after he failed to appear before the court in connection with the case.
It may be recalled that Sujjan had been booked in January 2020 under Sections 406 and 498A of the Indian Penal Code.
The court passed the order after the counsel for the accused moved an application seeking an exemption for Sujjan from making a physical appearance in the court. In the application, the counsel noted that accused works as a golf coach in Dubai, and that he was not able to get a leave for returning to India to attend the hearing.
After hearing the arguments, the court said that a perusal of the file reveals that the accused had approached the high court for the relief of an anticipatory bail earlier in 2020. He was granted an interim anticipatory bail, which was subsequently made absolute. The relief was granted to the accused on the condition that he should not leave India without prior permission from the court. On the last date of hearing too, his counsel had filed an application seeking an exemption for him from making a physical appearance in the court.
Notably, the Supreme Court had earlier held that the accused should not have an unqualified right to travel overseas without prior intimation to the court about his period of absence and other relevant details.
The court noted that the accused did not obtain any permission before travelling abroad, in violation of the condition imposed upon him by the high court for an interim anticipatory bail. The court, hence, turned down the application seeking an exemption from making a personal appearance today. The next hearing in the matter is slated for September 8.
