Oxygen Concentrator Hoarding Case: Delhi Court Grants Bail To Businessman Navneet Kalra

A Delhi court Saturday granted bail to businessman Navneet Kalra in a case pertaining to hoarding and black marketing of oxygen cylinders.

Kalra was arrested on May 17, just days after police seized more than 500 oxygen concentrators from three restaurants owned by him in the national capital.

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.

While granting bail, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Arun Kumar Garg directed the accused not to contact the customers to whom he had sold the concentrators, not to tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses, and join the investigation as and when called by the police.

During the course of hearing of the bail plea, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, representing the Delhi Police, told the court that the businessman committed a white-collar crime and made profit by selling medical devices at exorbitant price to those on death beds.

Kalra's lawyers, senior advocate Vikas Pahwa and advocate Vineet Malhotra, opposed the contentions of the police and said that their client is being made a scapegoat and had no criminal intent to cheat people as he sold the oxygen concentrators to merely help family and friends.

Kalra currently owns a series of food joints including Town Hall, Public Affair, Mr Choy, Khan Chacha -- all in the Khan Market area -- and Nege and Ju on Lodhi Road and Kakapo in Mehrauli.

(With PTI inputs)