Supreme Court allows ex-Unitech promoter Sanjay Chandra's wife to attend funeral

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday allowed ex-Unitech promoter Sanjay Chandra's wife Preeti Chandra, lodged in Tihar Jail in a money laundering case, to attend her maternal grandmother's funeral ceremony for a day between 10 am and 3 pm with conditions.

A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah asked Preeti Chandra to submit her Dominican Republic passport or any other passport that she has to the investigating officer before being allowed out of prison.

The bench ordered that she will not use any cell phone to communicate with anybody or access any other documents and that she will be escorted to the designated place by four Delhi Police personnel and officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED had opposed the relief, saying she was a flight risk and has acquired citizenship of the Dominican Republic, with which India has no extradition treaty, and that the agency does not want to "burn their hands" by allowing her to flee the country.

Additional Solicitor General Madhavi Divan, appearing for the ED, said Preeti Chandra is a director in various shell companies of Unitech and was an "active actor" in the conspiracy of the money laundering operation being run from the UAE.

Preeti Chandra has claimed that her maternal grandmother expired on March 14 and she needed to attend the funeral ceremonies.