In a new twist, the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMM Trust) which oversees the prominent Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai has filed a Rs 1,000 crore civil defamation lawsuit against HDFC Bank’s managing director and chief executive officer, Sashidhar Jagdishan.“The Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMM Trust) has filed a ₹1,000 crore civil defamation lawsuit against Mr Sashidhar Jagdishan, Managing Director & CEO of HDFC Bank, over a series of malicious, false, and defamatory statements made against the Trust and its Permanent Trustee, Prashant Mehta,” the Trust said in a release.“The legal action aims to counter what the Trust views as a coordinated campaign to malign its reputation and obstruct its operation as a public charitable institution,” the release added. In addition to the civil suit, the Trust has also filed a criminal complaint before the Metropolitan Magistrate in Girgaon, Maharashtra.The Trust had previously lodged a criminal First Information Report (FIR) against Jagdishan, accusing him of financial fraud. Earlier this week, Jagdishan filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the FIR. The statement further said that LKMM Trust and Prashant Mehta have never been a borrower to HDFC Bank but rather a lender depositing Rs 48 crore in the form of fixed deposits and bonds, it said.The Trust and Prashant Mehta are not connected to the affairs of Splendour Gems in any manner whatsoever as fraudulently espoused by the CEO of HDFC, it said.However, HDFC Bank had earlier refuted charges saying the bank and its senior officials are being targeted by unscrupulous persons who are abusing the legal process to thwart the recovery of the long outstanding loan due to the bank from recalcitrant defaulters i.e Splendour Gems Ltd (formerly known as Beautiful Diamonds Ltd).The LKMM Trust has alleged in the complaint that of the Rs 14.42 crore misappropriated by its trustees, Rs 2.05 crore were received by Jagdishan. It also claimed that the offer of Rs 1.5 crore disguised as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to hospital staff shows the intent to destroy evidence and obstruct justice.
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