In a significant development, an Indian court has refused bail to Ajay Gupta, a member of the notorious Gupta family, who has been linked to orchestrating large-scale corruption in South Africa. This case involves allegations of abetting the suicide of businessman Satinder Singh Sawhney.
The Indian-born Gupta brothers—Atul, Ajay, and Rajesh—built a vast business empire in South Africa after moving there in 1993. Last month, 58-year-old Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta were arrested in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Indian Ex-politician And Brother Shot Dead Live On TV
The case revolves around the death of Satinder Singh Sawhney, a 52-year-old building developer who was found dead at the bottom of an apartment block on May 24th. Sawhney’s son claimed that his father left a suicide note accusing Ajay and Anil Gupta of threatening him.
Director of Prosecution Girish Pancholi stated that Sawhney had accused the Gupta brothers of forcing him to commit suicide by filing fake cases against him.
Following these accusations, Ajay and Anil Gupta were detained, and their bail application was denied by the Dehradun district court. Government lawyer Guru Prasad Raturi noted that the seriousness of the case would make it difficult for the Guptas to secure bail from higher courts.
In 2018, South African investigators revealed that the Guptas had colluded with former President Jacob Zuma to siphon off state assets, costing several billion dollars. While Ajay was declared a fugitive in 2018, charges against him were dropped the following year.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Pic| Controversial Gupta Brothers Arrested In Connection With Builder’s Death
His younger brothers, Atul and Rajesh, fled to the UAE and are currently not extraditable. Ajay is not under an Interpol red notice, unlike his brothers, making his legal situation distinct.
Jacob Zuma, forced out of office in 2018, recently secured almost 15% of the vote in South Africa’s general elections, representing the newly-formed Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. This development has weakened the African National Congress’s longstanding majority, showing the far-reaching impact of the Gupta family’s actions on South African politics.
