The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has preferred a writ appeal before a Division Bench of the Madras High Court challenging an order passed by a single judge who had quashed a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued by the Bureau of Immigration against Rahul Surana in connection with investigation into an alleged bank loan scam, running to several thousand crores of rupees, by the Surana group of companies.
The first Division Bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N. Mala on Tuesday ordered notice, returnable by September 27, on a petition preferred by the SFIO to condone the delay of four days in preferring the appeal. Justice Anita Sumanth had quashed the LOC on March 7 while allowing a writ petition pending in the court since 2020 challenging the circular issued on December 9, 2020 at the request of the SFIO.
Then, the writ petitioner had contended that his father Dinesh Chand Surana was the Managing Director of Surana Industries Limited and that he had no connection whatsoever with the day-to-day affairs. He was neither in the management nor a shareholder, the petitioner said. He also said he was caught unawares at the Chennai airport on January 30, 2020 when he was restrained from flying abroad, along with his family, for his wife’s treatment.
