The Bombay High Court on Monday declined to expedite the hearing for former ICICI Bank MD Chanda Kochhar, who is contesting the authorization to prosecute her.

A bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Shyam Chandak, with a smile, noted, "CBI cases never start; they take years. So, there is no bona fide apprehension," while postponing Kochhar's petition hearing by three weeks.

Kochhar is challenging the sanction granted for her prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act. This relates to a high-value loan of over Rs 3,200 crore extended to the Videocon group during her tenure, which allegedly caused significant losses to the bank.

The sanction was issued on May 15, 2023. Kochhar argues that the procedure for granting the sanction was not properly followed, rendering it invalid.

At the hearing, Kochhar's lawyer, Tejas Popat from Rashmikant and Partners, highlighted a trial court's order requiring all accused to be personally present for the framing of charges.

The framing of charges is a crucial step where the court, after reviewing the police report and hearing both sides, determines if there is enough evidence to proceed with the trial. The next hearing in the trial court is scheduled for July 22.

Additional Solicitor General Devang Vyas, representing the CBI, argued that the issue of the sanction's validity could be challenged at any point before the trial court, suggesting no urgency for the High Court to hear the plea immediately.

The bench mentioned its backlog of decade-old petitions, which take precedence, and advised Popat to request more time from the trial court, informing it of the pending petition in the High Court.

In 2022, Chanda Kochhar and her husband, Deepak Kochhar, were arrested by the central agency, alongside Videocon group founder Venugopal Dhoot. The CBI has accused the trio and several companies, including Nupower Renewables (managed by Deepak Kochhar), Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd, and Videocon Industries Limited, of violating the Banking Regulation Act, RBI guidelines, and ICICI Bank's credit policy by sanctioning credit facilities worth Rs 3,200 crore to Videocon group companies.