Subrata Roy in police custody till March 4

Lucknow: Sahara Chief Subrata Roy, who was arrested in Lucknow on Friday after he surrendered to police, has been sent to police custody till March 4.

Subrata Roy’s son Sumanto has said, "Sahara being projected in bad light and misconceptions against Sahara are being created by vested interest".

Sumanto added, "Subrata Roy wilfully submitted himself before Lucknow police; he is cooperating with all authorities. He is very attached to his mother; her condition remains fragile and he was hoping for a Supreme Court relief".

Jethmalani has also pleaded to Supreme Court to consider recalling non-bailable warrant against Roy. However, the apex Court turns down Roy's plea, saying it is not possible for the special bench assembled today to hear it.

Sahara chief had said he is not absconding; says ready to "unconditionally" obey Supreme Court direction. He says he wants to be with his "ailing mother under house arrest" till March 3, if Supreme Court permits this.

“I have informed police to do their duty as per direction of Supreme Court,” Sahara chief said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police reach the venue of a press conference scheduled by Sahara group.

Raising an emotional pitch, Roy said he was a "law abiding citizen" and not the one who will abscond. "Last evening I had gone out of Sahara Shahar, Lucknow, to consult with a panel of doctors with certain medical reports of my mother and then I had gone to a lawyer's house also," he said.

A day after the police visited his home in Lucknow to arrest him as per Supreme Court's orders but failed to find him there, Roy said he is still in Lucknow and had gone out for sometime to consult "a panel of doctors". Roy said he has "already informed police to do their duty".

Through a statement signed by him, Roy also appealed to the Supreme Court to allow him to be with his "ailing mother under house arrest till March 3, 2014", while adding that he was ready to reach Delhi even today, if court wants him to do so.

Issuing a non-bailable warrant against Roy, the Supreme Court on February 26 asked the police to arrest him and present before the court on March 4.

(Read: Sahara-Sebi case: timeline)

The three directors of Sahara Group, who were also summoned along with Roy, had appeared in the court on Wednesday. The court had on February 20 come down heavily on the Sahara group for not refunding Rs 20,000 crore of investors money despite its order and summoned Roy, Ravi Shankar Dubey, Ashok Roy Choudhary and Vandana Bhargava, directors of its firms Sahara India Real Estate Corp Ltd (SIREC) and Sahara India Housing Investment Corp Ltd (SHIC) to be personally present before it on Wednesday.

Roy, whose group claims to have net worth of over Rs 68,000 crore and which has been fighting a long battle with regulator Sebi over refund of investor money, said he is also sending this letter to the judges, along with the media. "A lot of people advised me to get admitted in some hospital and I can remain there as it is the general practice to avoid courts on medical grounds. However, I hate to do such drama," he said. "I have already informed police to do their duty as per direction of the Supreme Court.

"I am in Lucknow and with folded hands and with all humility I appeal to the Judges that if Court can allow me to live with my ailing mother under house arrest till March 3, 2014 "But I leave it now on the Judges. If they call me today at Delhi, I shall reach there, or whatever direction Supreme Court shall give to me today, I shall unconditionally follow," he added. Roy also accused "some negative minded emotionally confined media people" for his "agony and humiliation" and said some of these journalists were "sometime back thrown out of Sahara". "They are bullying and indulging in character assassination of a son who is trying to perform his emotional duty towards his ailing mother. "God forbid, if any untoward thing happens with my mother, in my absence, I shall never forget in my life those people" he said.