Signing you in

The FIR was lodged based on a complaint by the trust, which manages the Lilavati Hospital in Bandra (West). An SC bench of Justices M. M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh issued notice to Jagdishan seeking his response during the next hearing.

On May 5, the Bombay HC had granted major relief to Jagdishan by quashing the FIR and proceedings arising out of it based on a complaint lodged by the trust through its authorised representative and trustee, Prashant Kishor Mehta. The complaint had claimed Jagdishan accepted a Rs 2.05 crore bribe to assist a group comprising Chetan Mehta and other former trustees in maintaining alleged illegal control over the trust.

A special bench of Justices Makarand S. Karnik and Nitin R. Borkar of the HC had observed that the complaint was the “fallout of recovery proceedings initiated by petitioners-financial institutions against the Lilavati trust” and there is “serious acrimony, distrust, and strained relations to the core between the erstwhile trustees and present trustees.” The HC had also rejected the plea to transfer the investigation to the CBI.

Aggrieved by the HC verdict, the trust approached the SC earlier this month, arguing that the HC “erroneously passed the impugned order in contravention of settled legal provisions, and it deserves to be set aside.”

Jagdishan argued that the bank and its CEO were being drawn into an internal dispute within the trust and allegations against him lacked substantive material, as held by the High Court.

The trust responded that irrespective of larger disputes related to the trust, a probe was required in case an individual personally benefited from its funds.