Supreme Court Seeks Kochhar Couple's Response Over Arrest Legality

The Supreme Court has requested responses from Chanda and Deepak Kochhar regarding an appeal against the Bombay High Court's decision that declared their arrest as illegal. The former ICICI Bank executive and her husband were apprehended by the CBI in the Videocon-ICICI Bank loan case but promptly received bail from the high court.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from Chanda Kochhar, former Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank, and her husband, businessman Deepak Kochhar, regarding the Bombay High Court's order that deemed their arrest 'illegal.'

Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar issued notice to the couple and requested their replies on the appeal filed by the central probe agency. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), challenged the high court's decision, asserting that the arrests were justified.

Chanda Kochhar, who had been on interim bail, spent only two weeks in custody before the high court ruled on February 6 that the arrest was 'illegal.' The couple, along with Videocon group founder Venugopal Dhoot, who was also granted bail, had been accused by the CBI of sanctioning illegal loans worth Rs 3,250 crore in violation of multiple banking norms.

(With inputs from agencies.)