A non-bailable warrant has been issued by the Supreme Court against an NRI, who has fled the country leaving his passport in court custody.

Manish Chhokar, facing contempt charges for failure to handover his 10-year-old child to his former wife following their divorce in 2017, failed to turn up in court for the ongoing proceedings last year.

Since Chhokar got a divorce decree from a court in Michigan, US, the estranged wife initiated proceedings in India for the custody of their child. A settlement was reached between the parties before the court in 2019; one of the conditions was that the child would be in the custody of the woman. But it is now found that the man has escaped to the US breaching the law.

What is also shocking is the fact that he could leave the country without a passport. The bench said: “We are amazed as to how the alleged contemnor/respondent could leave for the USA or, for that matter, any country without a passport, as his passport is in the custody of this court. Be that as it may, we now have no option but to issue a non-bailable warrant against the alleged contemnor.”

The Supreme court has now directed the Home Ministry to investigate the matter and nab Chhokar and those involved in helping him leave the country.

Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj has been requested to apprise the court as to how this could happen. The bench said, “With the assistance of the Home Ministry, Government of India, he [Nataraj] may also inquire and inform this court as to who assisted the respondent in escaping from the country, and who the officials and other persons involved are.”

The next hearing is on February 19. – editor@nrifocus.com