Navneet Kalra was sent to 14 days of judicial custody.
A Delhi Police request seeking five more days of custodial interrogation of businessman Navneet Kalra in connection with allegedly hoarding and scalping oxygen concentrators was rejected by a court on Thursday that called the petition "flawed".
Navneet Kalra, who was produced before the court at the end of his three days of police custody, was sent to 14 days of judicial custody. The order was passed by Metropolitan Magistrate Akanksha Garg of Saket court.
The judge said that the police's contention to secure Navneet Kalra's custody on the grounds that the mirror images of his recovered mobile phones are yet to be created, or the data from the laptop is yet to be segregated is flawed at the outset.
"Whatever substantial had to be achieved by the investigating agency through the police remand of the accused has already been achieved and no fruitful purpose would be served by extending the police custody of the accused," the metropolitan magistrate said.
Rejecting the police's remand application, the district judge added that offence in the present case is of grave nature and has serious implications upon the society at large but the courts of law are not expected to be carried away by public sentiment.
The court cannot authorise detention merely because some stringent and non-bailable sections have been slapped upon the accused by the prosecution, the court said.
The judge added, "In the light of the submissions made by the IO wherein all the incriminating material available against the accused has been recovered and what remains is the mere confrontation of the accused, this court is of the view that the police remand of the accused is not warranted in the said case."
During a recent raid, 524 oxygen concentrators were recovered from Khan Chacha, Town Hall, and Nege & Ju restaurants owned by Kalra. The missing businessman was caught in Gurgaon on May 16 and formally arrested the next day.
During the earlier three-days of custodial interrogation, the police took Navneet Kalra to the three upscale restaurants owned by him in Khan Market and Lodhi Colony. He was also taken for the mandatory medical examination.
The police claimed that the concentrators were imported from China and were being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to 70,000 a piece as against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000.
The concentrators are a crucial medical equipment used for COVID-19 patients and are on high demand amid the second wave of the pandemic.
(With inputs from PTI)