The Bombay high court issued notice to real estate baron Shapoorji Pallonji (father of Tata Group chairman designate Cyrus Mistry) on a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging illegal transaction of money.
The Bombay high court on Tuesday issued notice to real estate baron Shapoorji Pallonji (father of Tata Group chairman designate Cyrus Mistry) on a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging illegal transaction of money.
The petition alleged that Pallonji’s real estate company had given an illegal gratification of Rs250 crore to a company owned by Nitesh Thakur, former deputy collector of Mhada who has been arrested on corruption charges.
A division bench comprising justice SA Bobade and justice Mridula Bhatkar issued the notice while hearing a PIL filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar.
Thakur, along with his brother Nilesh, had formed a company PRS Enterprises.
“Shapoorji Pallonji’s real estate company had paid Rs258.88 crore to PRS Enterprises,” says the petition.
The income tax department that had initiated an inquiry into the transaction in December 2010 concluded that both parties had failed to substantiate reasons behind payment of such huge sum of money, added the PIL.
Tirodkar has alleged that the Thakur brothers were engaged in disbursing bribe to government officials on behalf of Pallonji for facilitating permission for real estate projects.
The PIL has sought a joint inquiry by the I-T department, the enforcement directorate and the CBI into transactions between the two companies.
Tirodkar, in pursuant to an earlier HC order, filed an affidavit adding Pallonji as a respondent in his PIL. He also submitted an additional affidavit along with a remand note of the state anti-corruption bureau (ACB), which states that the ACB was investigating into the financial transaction between Thakur and Pallonji’s companies.
The Shapoorji Pallonji company also allegedly paid Rs141.50 crore to PRS Enterprises to buy a 900-acre land for them. Instead, PRS Enterprises bought land for itself at Alibaug, Murud and Shrivardhan for a hotel and a farm house.
The HC kept the PIL for hearing on May 4.
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