Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday refused to grant any urgent interim relief to officials of Edelweiss company officials who are accused of abetting the suicide of renowned film art director Nitin Desai.
A division bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and RN Laddha issued a notice to Desai's wife, who is the complainant in the case and kept the matter for hearing on August 18.
The HC was hearing a petition filed by Edelweiss Financial Services chairman Rashesh Shah; and Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited Managing Director and CEO Raj Kumar Bansal seeking quashing of the FIrst Information Report (FIR) registered against them for allegedly abetting Desai’s suicide.
Their counsel Amit Desai urged the court to grant them interim protection from any coercive action and also sought quashing of the FIR.
Public prosecutor Aruna Kamat Pai informed the court that the FIR in the case was registered only last week and that the police are still probing the case.
Next Hearing Scheduled On August 18
The court said it will hear the petitions on August 18. “Wait for a week. We will hear the matter on August 18 and consider the interim orders sought,” Justice Sambre said.
Apart from these two, Edelweiss ARC official Smit Shah, one person named Keru Mehta and Jitendra Kothari, who was appointed by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) as an interim resolution professional, have also approached the HC seeking quashing of the FIR.
Pending hearing, all officials have sought interim protection against coercive action.
Desai, 57, Desai was found hanging at his ND Studio located in Karjat on August 2. On August 4, Desai's wife, Naina, approached the Khalapur police station to register an FIR, following which an abetment to suicide case was registered against Shah and Bansal and others.
