Wadia defamation case: Court issues notices to Ratan Tata and directors of Tata Sons
Mumbai, Dec 17: A local court has issued notices against Tata Sons former chairman Ratan Tata, present chairman N Chandrasekaran and eight directors of the group along with the group chief operating officer in a defamation complaint filed by Wadia group chairman Nusli Wadia.
The notices were issued by the Esplanade court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate MI Lokwani last Saturday and posted the matter for further hearing on March 25, 2019.
Wadia had recorded his statement on December 14.
Apart from Tata and Chandrasekaran, the other respondents are Ajay Piramal, Amit Chandra, Ishaat Hussain, Nitin Nohria, Ranendra Sen, Vijay Singh, Venu Srinivasan, Ralf Speth and F N Subedar, the group chief operating officer.
Wadia filed the complaint in 2016 after he was voted out of some of the group companies, where he was a board member, claiming that Tata and the others had made defamatory statements against him after they removed Cyrus Mistry on October 24, 2016 as the group chairman of Tata Sons.
Wadia was on the boards of group companies like Indian Hotels Company that runs the Taj group of hotels, TCS, Tata Motors and Tata Steel among others as an independent director. He was voted out by shareholders at the specially convened general meeting between December 2016 and February 2017.
Wadia's counsel Abad Ponda informed a metropolitan magistrate court that the accused persons had alleged that Wadia was acting in concert with Mistry, and thus against the interests of the Tata group as a whole.
Wadia in his complaint claimed that he approached the court as he was not satisfied with the explanations the respondents had given him following his letters to them and his complaint seeks to initiate defamation proceedings against them under section 500 of IPC.
The magistrate, however, refused to issue process (notice) to Tata Sons observing that it is a company and not an individual person.
"It appears that complainant (Wadia) has made out a case against accused No 2 to 12 (Tata and others) but there is no such case made out against accused No 1 (Tata Sons) for the offence punishable under section 500. Hence issue process against accused No. 2 to 12," the magistrate said in his order.
Meanwhile, a Tata Sons spokesperson said all due processes were followed in relation to Nusli Wadia's removal as independent director.
"Tata Sons had, in exercise of its statutory rights, validly issued a 'Special Notice' seeking his removal. While Wadia has alleged that the contents of the Special Notice were defamatory, the matter is currently sub judice and Tata Sons strongly denies such allegations," the statement said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
KSDL invites innovative technology to check sandalwood theft
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has invited farmers, scientists and organisations to come up with innovative technologies to prevent sandalwood theft in the state.
The state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which manufactures Mysuru Sandal Soap has also planned sandalwood cultivation, state Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil said on Thursday.
"In a bid to promote sandalwood cultivation, the KSDL has planned a major initiative. As part of it, farmers, scientists, and organisations possessing information on advanced equipment or innovative technologies to prevent sandalwood theft have been invited to approach KSDL and share the details," Patil said in a statement.
Those interested in this initiative will be given an opportunity to demonstrate such technologies before the organisation, the minister said, adding if the proposed solutions are found suitable and effective, steps will be taken for consideration and implementation.
Patil stated that the cost involved in deploying technologies aimed at preventing sandalwood theft would be borne by KSDL.
Further, with a view to encouraging sandalwood cultivation, four farmers who have supplied the highest quantity of sandalwood to KSDL will be honoured with awards on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar on June 4, he said.
On the same occasion, police personnel and forest officials who have made notable progress in apprehending sandalwood thieves and registering cases, along with members of the public who have provided credible information leading to such action, will also be recognised and rewarded, the minister added.
Patil observed that farmers cultivating sandalwood trees on their lands have been facing increasing threats due to theft in recent years. Illegal felling and theft of sandalwood trees have continued for decades.
Although stringent laws are in place to curb such activities, the number of cases resulting in convictions remains very low, he noted.
"In this context, it becomes the responsibility of the organisation to extend both legal and technical support to farmers and encourage them to take up sandalwood cultivation on a larger scale," he said.
According to him, over the past three years, KSDL has procured 174.5 metric tonne of sandalwood directly from farmers across the state and transferred Rs 6.08 crore to their respective accounts.
