Connect with us
Saturday,09-August-2025
Breaking News

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Lilavati Hospital Plaint Alleging Harassment By HDFC Bank Is Bid To Avoid Paying Dues, Says Bombay HC

Published

on

Mumbai: Lilavati Hospital Plaint Alleging Harassment By HDFC Bank Is Bid To Avoid Paying Dues, Says Bombay HC

Mumbai, Sep 24: The Bombay High Court has held that a complaint by the Lilavati Hospital’s trustee alleging that harassment by HDFC Bank led to the death of his father and the hospital’s founder was an attempt to avoid payment of dues.

A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande said filing the complaint before the state minorities commission was “nothing but an attempt to wriggle out of responsibilities”.

The judgement was passed on September 18.

The court quashed the Commission’s show cause notice to the HDFC Bank and its managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) in July this year, directing them to appear before it on August 1.

The Commission was hearing a complaint filed by Rajesh Mehta, permanent trustee of the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust, which runs the Lilavati Hospital here, alleging severe harassment and mental torture by the senior management and recovery department of the bank to him and his father, Kishor Mehta.

The complainant claimed the bank was in collusion with certain erstwhile trustees of the hospital trust, and this harassment caused the death of Kishor Mehta on May 20, 2024.

He alleged that the senior management had kept the sword of arrest hanging over Kishor Mehta, which resulted in his untimely death.

The Mehtas belong to the minority Jain community.

The bank, in its plea in the high court, challenged the notice and refuted the allegations, saying the complaint before the Commission was filed only to circumvent the recovery proceedings it had initiated.

The court conceded and said the complaint filed by Rajesh Mehta was “nothing but an attempt to short-circuit the procedure adopted by the HDFC Bank against its borrowers and to face an action as a debtor, who was jointly and severally liable to pay an amount of Rs 14 crore”.

“On the pretext that since he (Rajesh Mehta) is a member of the Jain community, he cannot knock on the doors of the Commission and get orders passed,” the bench said.

The bench noted that if a liability of recovery of dues is fastened upon the complainant, he cannot take benefit of being a member of a minority community to wriggle out of the same.

It also said the Commission had acted beyond its jurisdiction by issuing notice to the bank.

The court, while quashing the show cause notice issued to the HDFC bank’s managing director and CEO, said it was done so “without jurisdiction and was in violation of the principles of natural justice”.

The court noted that the Commission is empowered to make recommendations to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of all safeguards provided in the Constitution, laws enacted by the Parliament and the state legislature and those contained in the policies and schemes for minorities.

The bench said it was “really doubtful” whether the provisions of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission Act intended to cover an individual complaint like the present one.

In 2020, the recovery officer passed an order directing the civil imprisonment of Rajesh Mehta and Kishor Mehta, which the courts confirmed, and an arrest warrant was also issued in 2023 against Rajesh Mehta, it said.

It further noted that the Mehta family had filed 15 proceedings on the issue before a civil court, the high court and the Supreme Court.

“When Mr Mehta (Rajesh Mehta) was unable to taste success in either of the proceedings, to short circuit the payment of the amount due under the recovery certificate and to avoid arrest, the present complaint was filed before the Minorities Commission,” the high court said.

The court also restrained the Commission from proceeding with the complaint by summoning the petitioners (bank).

Crime

Mumbai: 53-Year-Old Junior Film Artist Succumbs A Day After Road Accident In Goregaon

Published

on

Mumbai: A 53-year-old woman, Ambubai Sonawane, succumbed a day after a road accident in Goregaon East. She was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by her 29-year-old acquaintance, Shubham Ghatwal, when the incident occurred at the Goregaon check naka while attempting to overtake a BEST bus on August 5. She was declared dead during treatment on August 6.

About The Accident

According to the police, Sonawane, a junior artist in the film industry, resided in Shanti Niketan, Goregaon East, with her family. On August 4, she went to Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari for a film shoot. The next morning, around 8.30 am, while returning home, she met Ghatwal, who offered her a ride. As they headed towards the Goregaon check post, Ghatwal attempted to overtake a bus and collided with an oncoming two-wheeler.

Sonawane fell, sustaining serious injuries. She was first taken to Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri. After receiving first aid, she was brought home. Later, her son took her to Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari East, where she was declared dead during treatment.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Mumbai Police Deports 112 Illegal Bangladeshi Nationals, Year’s Tally Reaches 719

Published

on

Mumbai: In a major crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), police on Thursday deported 112 people, 92 from Mumbai and 20 from Mira-Bhayander and Thane.

The immigrants were first taken to Pune on Wednesday and then transported to the Assam-Bangladesh border in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft on Thursday, where they were handed over to Bangladesh security forces.

719 Deportations In Mumbai Alone

With Thursday’s action, deportations from Mumbai alone have reached 719 this year, compared to 152 in the entire year of 2024, a senior police officer said. The documents reveal the illegal immigrants were detained from across Mumbai between June 12 and August 5. Of the 92 from Mumbai, 40 were women, 34 children, and 18 men. The breakup of the 20 detained from Mira-Bhayander and Thane was not available.

“This time the government decided to drop the illegal immigrants at the Assam-Bangladesh border, which is heavily secured and manned by the Indian Army, making illegal re-entry almost impossible. They were handed over to the Bangladesh border security force.

Another officer confirmed that between January 1 and August 5, Mumbai Police deported 719 Bangladeshi nationals found staying illegally in the city. Most were detained in the last week of July after being found to have violated visa norms and entered India illegally through the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Series Of Crackdown On Illegal Immigrants In Mumbai

A senior IPS officer said they were deported under Section 3(2)(c) of the Foreigners Act, 1946, after completing all legal procedures. The first deportation of the year took place in February when 12 people were sent back.

The crackdown intensified after the January 16 arrest of Shariful Islam, a Bangladeshi national accused of attacking actor Saif Ali Khan in his Bandra residence, who was found with a duplicate Aadhaar card and an illegally procured Indian SIM card.

Police said the operation began after informants tipped them off about suspicious individuals at building construction sites. Suspects were called to police stations, and evidence such as call records to Bangladesh and suspicious bank transactions was gathered before detentions were made.

The data shows that Amboli in Andheri recorded the highest number of arrests, with 11 immigrants caught. In at least four cases, only mothers were found living illegally with their minor children.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

171 Maharashtra Tourists Safe, Search On For Missing Woman In landslide-hit Uttarakhand

Published

on

Mumbai: A woman tourist from Maharashtra has remained untraceable since landslide and flash floods hit Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, state Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said on Saturday.

The minister’s office in a statement said that 171 out of the 172 tourists from Maharashtra, who were stranded in the Dharali area, could be contacted, and they were all confirmed safe.

The Statement

“Only one person, Kritika Jain, is still missing, but the authorities are trying to locate her. Efforts are underway to establish contact with the tourist, and the Uttarakhand State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) has been instructed to conduct a search for her,” the statement said.

Of the 171 tourists from Maharashtra, 160 are safe at various locations – 31 are in Matli, six in Jolly Grant, and 123 in Uttarkashi – and have continued their journey as planned. The remaining 11 tourists are safe in Harsil and will be airlifted to safety, it stated.

Mahajan is overseeing the rescue operation on-site in Uttarkashi to ensure the safety of tourists.

The Maharashtra State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) is in constant touch with its Uttarakhand counterpart, the district control room, the district emergency operations centre in Uttarkashi, and the National Emergency Response Centre in New Delhi.

According to the statement, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is monitoring the situation.

As per information shared by Uttarakhand authorities, the airlift of tourists stranded in Harsil was scheduled for Saturday morning. Army, NDRF, SDRF and local rescue teams are operational in Dharali.

The landslide and floods have damaged roads and disrupted communication networks. Efforts are underway to restore connectivity and basic infrastructure.

A satellite phone has been deployed by IGP Rajeev Swaroop, and the Army has been alerted for immediate response.

The Maharashtra SEOC is coordinating rescue arrangements, updating information, and assisting the concerned families, the statement added.

Continue Reading

Trending