SC stays sale on Harshad Mehta's 9 flats

In a relief to the family of late stock broker late Harshad Mehta, the Supreme Court has stayed the sale of the nine residential flats owned by him at Worli in Mumbai.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan stayed the order of the Special Court (Trial of Offences Relating to Transaction Security) till April 16, next date of hearing, on a petition by Mehta's wife.

Passing an order, the special court had on March 5 this year directed the family of the tainted stock broker to vacate the nine attached properties within four weeks to facilitate their sale to recover the outstanding society charges of nine flats at Madhuli Apartments in Worli area.

The Court's direction came on a petition filed by Jyoti Mehta, wife of late Harshad Mehta filed through her advocate Varinder Kumar Sharma, requesting a stay on the order passed by the special court.

On August 7, 2009, the apex court had set aside the order of the special court to sale the nine notified flats directed by it and directed it to consider afresh expeditiously with in six months.

According to Jyoti, following the orders of the apex court, her family was asked to pay Rs 1.63 crore (rs 16.3 million) society fee.

Later, when they proposed to pay, they asked the family to disclose their future income which would enable them to pay the money. Later, they approached the special court challenging the government's order. But it also directed them to vacate the residential flats.