New Delhi, June 20 In a major development, the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust, which runs Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital, has filed a Rs 1,000 crore defamation case against HDFC Bank's Managing Director and CEO, Sashidhar Jagdishan.
The Trust has accused Jagdishan of making false and damaging statements against the organisation and its permanent trustee, Prashant Mehta.
In a statement, the Trust said that the defamation suit was filed because of a series of "malicious, false and defamatory" comments made by Jagdishan, which they claim are part of a larger attempt to harm the image and functioning of the charitable institution.
According to the Trust, Jagdishan carried out a "coordinated campaign" to tarnish their reputation and obstruct their operations.
The Trust also clarified that their legal action is not out of revenge, but a response to what they call an "unfounded smear campaign" against a respected institution and its founding family.
Along with the civil defamation case, the Trust has also filed a criminal complaint before the Metropolitan Magistrate of Girgaon in Maharashtra.
The court has now issued notices to Jagdishan, as well as HDFC Bank’s spokesperson and the head of corporate communications.
The Trust strongly denied HDFC Bank's earlier claims and said that neither it nor Mehta has any connection with Splendour Gems, the company linked to alleged financial irregularities.
It called the accusations "fraudulent" and without evidence.
The controversy began when HDFC Bank raised questions about financial mismanagement involving the Trust.
In response, the Trust alleged that Rs 14.42 crore had been misappropriated, out of which Rs 2.05 crore was allegedly received by Jagdishan himself.
The Trust further accused the bank of offering Rs 1.5 crore in the name of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to hospital staff, claiming it was an attempt to destroy evidence and interfere with the investigation.
Earlier this week, Jagdishan approached the Bombay High Court to quash an FIR filed against him by the Trust.
The FIR was based on a magistrate's order asking the police to look into the alleged financial fraud.
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