New Delhi, February 17 There is no country like that, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while hearing the bail plea of an accused who claimed to be a citizen of Vanuatu, a Pacific island nation.
A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria was hearing a plea filed by the man who had challenged a Calcutta High Court order denying him bail in a cheating case.
His counsel told the bench that he had been in custody for nearly one year and three months.
"What country are you a citizen of?" the bench asked.
When the lawyer said the petitioner was a citizen of Vanuatu, the bench asked, "Have you ever been there?"
As the lawyer said no, the bench observed, "There is no country like that. We also know a country called Kailasa, which is similar."
Self-proclaimed godman Nithyananda claims to have established a country called the "United States of Kailasa" in 2019.
The counsel argued that the petitioner had already been granted bail in four other cases.
The bench then asked the lawyer representing West Bengal, "How long will it take to conclude the trial?"
The state's counsel said it was likely to be completed within six to eight months.
The petitioner's counsel sought the court's permission to withdraw the petition.
"The petition is dismissed as withdrawn," the bench said.