Mumbai: The Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust, which manages Mumbai’s prominent Lilavati Hospital, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a transfer of investigation against HDFC Bank MD and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Trust Alleges ₹2.05 Crore Bribe to Retain Control of Hospital Affairs
The Trust has alleged that Jagdishan accepted bribes amounting to Rs 2.05 crore to enable a group of former trustees to unlawfully retain control over the Trust’s affairs.
The petition stems from a complaint by current trustee Prashant Mehta, who claims his father—also a former trustee—was harassed in a loan recovery case tied to companies linked with existing trustees. Mehta alleges that the sustained pressure contributed to his father’s death.
FIR Registered Based on Diary Entries; Trust Seeks CBI Probe Under Corruption Act
A Bandra magistrate, on May 29, directed the police to register an FIR. An FIR was registered on May 31. The complaint centres on a diary allegedly recovered by Mehta, purportedly showing entries of Rs 2.05 crore paid to Jagdishan by Chetan Mehta and six other former trustees. While the magistrate noted the entries lacked supporting documentation, he found the allegations serious enough to merit investigation.
HDFC CEO Seeks Quashing of FIR Over ‘Unverified’ Evidence
The Trust’s petition argues that Jagdishan, as a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act, must be investigated by the CBI. Meanwhile, Jagdishan has moved the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR, contending that unverified photocopied diary entries do not constitute sufficient grounds for prosecution.
Additionally, the Trust has filed a Rs 1,000 crore civil defamation suit and a criminal defamation complaint against Jagdishan and HDFC Bank. The latter is scheduled for hearing before the Girgaon Magistrate Court on July 18.
