Dehradun, 25 May: Controversial businessmen with links to South Africa, Ajay Gupta and his
brother-in-law Anil Gupta who were arrested yesterday in connection with the suicide by builder Satinder Sawhney, were produced before the Court of ACJM 3 today and have been sent to 14 days judicial custody.
It may be recalled that one of the leading builders from Dehradun Satinder Sawhney also known by his nick name Baba Sawhney had yesterday committed suicide by jumping from the eighth floor of Pacific Golf Estate Society and had blamed controversial businessmen Ajay Gupta and his brother in law Anil Gupta for abetment to suicide. 

The Guptas, were arrested yesterday itself as Sawhney had written a suicide note addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Therefore, the suicide has become a high profile case. The Guptas were produced in Dehradun court by Doon Police at around 4 pm today and were sent to jail on 14 days judicial custody. During the hearing in the court, Advocate Atul Singh Pundir, the lawyer of the accused Guptas, claimed that his clients had only sought details of the accounts regarding the funds given by them to the deceased. This can’t be described as blackmailing. He added that his clients had demanded their money back which they had invested with Sawhney in a partnership projects. It may be recalled that in his suicide note, Sawhney has accused the Guptas of harassing and threatening him and his family as well as of blackmailing him. Pundir claimed that asking the details accounts or asking money back can’t be treated as blackmail or harassment.

On the other hand, prosecution lawyers advocate insisted before the court that the deceased had clearly mentioned in his suicide note that both the accused were separated for a long time. They were harassing him mentally and financially by adopting different pressure tactics, due to which the deceased, in despair, committed suicide. After hearing the arguments of the prosecution as well as the defence lawyers, the ACJM 3rd Court ordered to send both the accused to Suddhowala jail on 14 days judicial custody. However, the defence lawyer indicated that his clients had moved a bail application which may be heard in the next 2 days! The Guptas have hired a battery of lawyers including Abhimanshu Dhyani and Atul Pundir. In respect of the bail application, the Court has sought a report from Rajpur Police Station. Speaking to Garhwal Post, Rajpur SHO PD Bhatt confirmed the judicial custody of the accused. The Guptas have been charged under Section 306 of IPC.
It may be recalled that in the recovered suicide note, it was clearly written that the accused had been continuously mentally harassing the builder Baba Sawhney for two partnership projects and doing various types of financial harassment. A web of blackmailing was woven. Under this charge, the police arrested the accused Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta under section 306 in the case filed by the family members of the deceased.
It may be recalled that Sawhney was a reputed builder from Dehradun and had been doing several projects including some projects of Dehradun Institute of Technology (DIT) and Institute of Management Studies (IMS) Groups in Pune and elsewhere. Sawhney’s latest projects included the construction of a mall in Mohkampur (Dehradun-Haridwar Highway) which is set to open on 1 June. It is stated that Sawhney was constructing two projects worth Rs 350 crore in silent partnership with Guptas. It is alleged that Guptas, who were financing the major cost of the project had been harassing Sawhney to transfer the entire project to them. The Guptas have controversial background. Ajay Gupta with his brother Atul Gupta and his brother in law (Sister’s husband) hail from Saharanpur and have long time controversial links to South Africa and are wanted there in connection with charges of mining frauds and money laundering. In fact, the then South African President had to resign after his links with the Guptas including Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta had surfaced. South Africa is still investigating the cases.
It is alleged that Guptas had filed a case against Sawhney in Saharanpur to harass him. In fact, yesterday, Sahni had received a call from Saharanpur Police summoning him there. The Sawhney suicide case is a pointer of a strong nexus between the builders, mafia, the police, the bureaucracy and the politicians in Dehradun involving the real estate business.
State Congress Vice President Suryakant Dhasmana today demanded a high level inquiry into the case and alleged that this case exposes the nexus the officialdom and the ruling party have with the builder and mining mafia.