SC stops accused from appearing through counsel

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Delhi High Court order that allowed Antigua-based Aditya Talwar, an accused in a money laundering case, to appear through his lawyer in a court here.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose issued a notice to Talwar and put the matter for consideration on July 23.

The court passed its order on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the ED while the Talwar's side was represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Mukul Rohatgi and Amrendra Sharan.

Aditya, who has not come to India so far, has been made an accused in a case in which his father Deepak Talwar is alleged to have acted as a middleman in negotiations to favour foreign private airlines, causing losses to Air India.

The national carrier was allegedly made to give up profit-making routes and profit-making timings for offshore airlines.

The Delhi High Court, which is hearing Aditya's plea against the charge-sheet in the money laundering case, had said on May 31 that the accused "may personally or through his counsel appear before the (trial) court till the next date."