SC defers Sahara plea on property sale to Adani by six weeks

The Supreme Court has postponed for six weeks Sahara’s plea seeking approval to sell 88 properties to the Adani Group, asking the Centre to respond to objections raised by the amicus curiae and stating that disputes over sale documents require trial-level scrutin

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday deferred by six weeks the hearing on the Sahara firm’s plea seeking its nod to sell properties to the Adani Group as it asked the Centre to also file its response to the note submitted by amicus curiae on the issue.

A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and MM Sundresh impleaded the Ministry of Cooperation in the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said a lot of cooperative societies were formed by the Sahara Group, which may be affected.

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Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, who is an amicus curiae in the matter, submitted a note to the court, saying he has received a lot of objections with regard to the properties sought to be sold by the Sahara group, and in particular, he has filed objections about 34 properties.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Sahara Group, said he would like to file a response to the note submitted by the amicus and emphasised that a lot of properties were sold or leased out based on forged documents.

The bench said it is not the appropriate forum to look into the sale or lease documents, and the trial court or a specific committee appointed can look into those documents. CJI Gavai told Naphade, “Let the Union of India file its response, and then we will look into those issues”.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing after six weeks and asked the Centre to file its response to the Sahara firm’s plea as well as to the amicus curiae’s note. On October 14, the top court sought the response of the Centre, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and other stakeholders on a plea of Sahara India Commercial Corporation Ltd seeking permission to sell its 88 prime properties to Adani Properties Private Limited.