Supreme Court rejects bail request of Chinese citizen in criminal case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied bail to a Chinese national accused of committing an international crime while overstaying his visa and engaging in other unlawful activities, saying the charges against him were of a “very serious” nature.

Ryen alias Ren Chao had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court's July 31 decision denying him bail in the criminal case.

“Considering the gravity of the crime, we will not grant the bail application as the trial is still on. We reserve the right to approach the Supreme Court after a period of six months,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

Lawyer PN Puri, representing the Chinese national, said the defendant has been in prison for over 18 months.

“This is not the case in the case of bail,” the court said, adding that after six months, the accused can file a fresh bail application, which can be decided on the merits of the case without being influenced by the Supreme Court's findings.

While refusing to grant bail, the Supreme Court said that foreign nationals doing business in India must be held accountable under Indian law and that those facing criminal proceedings must submit to the jurisdiction of Indian courts.

Ren Chao was arrested by Noida police on July 9, 2022 in connection with an FIR for offences including cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. He was also charged under the Foreigners Act.

According to the FIR, he was accused of tampering with the E-FRRO reports, an online system that allows foreign nationals to apply for visas and immigration-related services in India without visiting any government office.

The Chinese citizen was also accused of fraudulent visa extensions.

During raids at a five-star hotel, various items were seized, including a BMW, Aadhar cards, bank cards, laptops, mobile phones and passports, police said.

“Economic crimes, especially those committed by well-organised international criminal networks, have serious consequences for social cohesion.

“Economic crimes of this kind create a parallel economy and threaten the economic stability of the country,” the Supreme Court said, rejecting his request for release on bail.