Asking the Special Court for CBI cases to issue a non-bailable warrant against Emaar MGF Land Limited chairman Shravan Gupta, the CBI said that his involvement in the Emaar scam had come to light only after the chargesheet was filed. The CBI said Mr Gupta had been avoiding arrest and was absconding. An NBW had earlier been issued against the accused but it had lapsed after six months. “There is material before the court to prove that Shravan Gupta’s company allotted some plots in Emaar Hills Township and collected money that was not shown in the account books,” the prosecution said. Also, a report by the ED, which had raided the premises of Emaar MGF, showed unaccounted cash of `9.12 crore, gold and a laptop.
There were apparently two employees — G.V. Vijaya Raghav and Srikant Joshi — working with Mr Gupta, stated the prosecution while opposing the contention of the defence counsel that the duo had acted on their own. Mr Gupta was avoiding appearance before the court and NBW was necessary to secure his presence for the trial, said the prosecution. The CBI has sought a NBW without a time frame since the accused was abroad. Meanwhile, the defence counsel said that Mr Gupta was not being given an opportunity to submit himself to the trial process. Principal special judge U. Durga Prasad reserved his orders for July 23.