Lilavati row: Trustee Rajiv Mehta accuses ex-CP of forgery, extortion

Mumbai's former police commissioner Param Bir Singh faces allegations of forgery and manipulation from trustees over control of Lilavati Hospital.

Mumbai: Days after former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh was removed as the executive director of Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, permanent trustee Rajiv Mehta on Tuesday alleged that the retired IPS officer and Rajesh Mehta—also a permanent trustee and Rajiv’s twin brother—had tried to manipulate records to assume greater control of the trust that runs the hospital.

Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh denied the allegations, calling them “blatantly false”. (PTI)

Permanent trustees Rajiv and Prashant Mehta are pitted against their brother Rajesh Mehta and Singh allegedly over the control of the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMMT), which runs the top hospital in Bandra.

Rajiv Mehta has now alleged that Rajesh Mehta and Singh colluded to forge the minutes of a board meeting held on July 27, 2024. “They wanted to usurp the trust together, and they did all of this for their lust for power,” he said.

HT had reported on February 7 that Singh was removed as executive director of the hospital hours after he filed a criminal complaint against Rajiv Mehta, Prashant Mehta and others for alleged forgery and misappropriation of trust funds.

Singh’s criminal complaint, filed at the Bandra police station on February 5, included allegations of forgery, misappropriation of trust funds, criminal intimidation and other offences. He had raised concerns about the governance, integrity and conduct of the trust’s affairs, which he claimed affected hospital operations.

On Tuesday, Rajiv Mehta said that hiring Singh was a “big mistake”. He also claimed that the hospital’s trustees were informed on Monday that Singh, during his tenure as executive director, had allegedly extorted money from junior doctors by promising them promotions.

Singh denied the allegations, calling them “blatantly false”. He said he was being targeted only as a counterblast to his complaint of February 5. “The timing speaks for itself,” Singh said. “I will be filing both civil and criminal defamation suits in court and taking action before the appropriate regulatory body against these false allegations.”