As part of the bail conditions granted on March 7, Michel James is required to furnish a bond of Rs 5 lakh with one surety of the same amount. Additionally, one of the mandatory conditions is to surrender his passport to the court authorities.
New Delhi– The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has allowed Christian Michel James, an accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, to apply for a new passport. This direction was issued to the jail authorities on Tuesday to help Michel fulfil the bail conditions set by the court.
Christian Michel appeared before Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal and informed the court that his passport had expired. He stated that he would require at least two months to apply for and obtain a new passport.
As part of the bail conditions granted on March 7, Michel James is required to furnish a bond of Rs 5 lakh with one surety of the same amount. Additionally, one of the mandatory conditions is to surrender his passport to the court authorities.
However, since Michel’s passport has already expired, the court has instructed him to apply for a fresh one through the British High Commission, following the prescribed rules.
During the March 7 hearing, Michel James had expressed concerns regarding his safety outside the jail.
He stated, “I wanted to remain in custody for my safety.”
On Tuesday, when the Special CBI judge asked Michel James if he was ready to furnish his bail bond, the accused replied, “There are some issues.”
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Furthermore, Michel James has submitted another application to the court. He requested the Jail Superintendent to provide his Conduct Report, covering the period of his incarceration from January 2019 to date. The Conduct Report will document his behavior during custody and will help him determine his eligibility for remission.
The application emphasized that the Conduct Report is vital, as it
“contains details of his behavior during his incarceration and access to a copy of the Conduct Report will enable him to check his eligibility for remission.”
Christian Michel was extradited from Dubai to India in December 2018 and has been in judicial custody since then. Recently, he was granted bail in the CBI case by the Supreme Court and in the money laundering case by the Delhi High Court.
Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal has framed the conditions for Michel’s release following the Supreme Court’s order. Advocate Aljo K Joseph represented Christian Michel in the case.
