New Delhi, May 14 (UNI) The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to grant any interim protection to businessman and restaurateur Navneet Kalra in connection with the oxygen concentrator black marketing case registered against him by the Delhi Police. The bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad adjourned the anticipatory bail plea filed by Kalra for further hearing on May 18.
On Thursday, a Sessions Court had declined the anticipatory bail to Kalra in the case. Kalra has been on the run since the recovery of 524 oxygen concentrators, required by COVID-19 patients, from three of his restaurants – Khan Chacha, Town Hall, and Nege & Ju between Wednesday and Friday, according to investigators. He could not be tracked despite raids being conducted in Delhi and adjoining states such as Uttarakhand, the police said.
Investigators said that they have evidence that shows the oxygen concentrators were bought for Rs 14,000-15,000 and sold at Rs 70,000-75,000.
Kalra’s counsel had argued that all rules were complied with and the transactions of the sale were through banking channels. He further added that oxygen concentrators are not cosmetic, not luxury, instead it was used when somebody is medically unfit. ‘When selling through banking channels, where is the offense’, the lawyer argued.
