The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Borivli railway police to register a First Information Report against Corporation Bank and three of its officials for allegedly driving a city-based businessman to commit suicide.
“Is it not a case of cognisable offence?” questioned the
division bench of Justice A. M. Khanwilkar and Justice U. D. Salvi while hearing a petition filed by Parul Patel, wife of deceased businessman, Jatin Patel.
Following the court’s rap, Additional Public Prosecutor Dr. F. R. Shaikh made a statement that appropriate steps will be taken considering the suicide note and statements of some witnesses naming the bank officials. Patel (50) had ended his life by jumping in front of a train at Kandivli on March 8 allegedly because some senior officials of the bank had demanded 2 per cent of his pending dues for de-sealing his factory.
The Charkop resident was going through a trying time after the bank sealed his pharmaceutical factory at Wada in Thane district. Patel had taken loan of Rs 2 crore from the bank in 2006 but wasn’t able to repay the amount, and therefore, the bank had initiated action for attaching his factory premises under the Securitization Act in May 2008.
The petition alleged that the officials demanded 2 percent of the pending dues – amount to the tune of Rs 4 lakh – in cash for allowing him to run the factory.
Unable to meet the demand, Patel had offered all the ornaments of belonging to his wife, but the officials declined to accept it, which left the businessman with no option but to take the drastic step, it added. Parul’s counsel R. M. Kedia pointed out that the Marine Drive police had recorded a complaint lodged against the bank officials, but the Borivli railway police refused to book the bank officials despite Jatin’s suicide note specifically naming them. The court did not allow the bank’s counsel, A. D. Kothari to advance his submissions.
The judges asked him to sit down saying “you have no voice at this juncture.”