SC rejects Michel's Plea challenging local address proof as HC bail condition

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a plea filed by Christian Michel James, alleged middleman in the ₹3,600 crore VVIP chopper scandal, challenging a bail condition imposed by the Delhi High Court to provide a local address to be released on bail.

A division bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and PV Sanjay Kumar said that the Court granted bail to Michel subject to conditions and the same have to be fulfilled.

"If you have to stay in this country, you must make some arrangements. If you have a permanent address in Tihar, then stay there only. We gave you bail, you don't want to fulfil the condition of providing a local address," the Bench verbally told Michel's lawyer.


The top court also rejected Michel's plea against the Delhi High Court's direction to the British High Commission to submit Michel's new passport to the trial court instead of handing it over to Michel.

Michel, charge-sheeted both by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the VVIP chopper scandal, was granted bail by the Delhi High Court in March this year. However, Michel remained in custody due to non-compliance with the bail conditions.