Sahara takes Jet to court, seeks Rs 2,000 cr

Sahara Commercial Corporation today filed an application in the Bombay High Court alleging that Jet Airways had committed breach of contract in the takeover deal and was liable to pay it (Sahara) Rs 2,000 crore instead of the renegotiated Rs 1,450 crore agreed on by them.

While Jet sought four days to file a rejoinder to Sahara's application, the court has given the airline time till this afternoon to go through the application, and it will then hear the matter. The court will give the date of the next hearing today.

Jet bought Sahara India Airlines from the Sahara Group in April 2007 for Rs 1,450 crore after an arbitration award. Naresh Goyal-led Jet paid Rs 900 crore, and was to pay the balance in four instalments.

According to Sahara's application, Jet had, however, defaulted and thus was liable to pay it Rs 2,000 crore.

Jet's lawyer Janak Dwarkadas, in the last hearing, had said that in March 2008, the Income-Tax department demanded tax dues of Rs 107 crore from Sahara India Airlines (now called JetLite). According to Jet, this amount was due from the Sahara Group as it pertained to the period before the acquisition.

So last March, while paying Sahara the instalment of Rs 137 crore, Jet deducted Rs 37 crore against the I-T dues. This year too, Jet deducted Rs 50 crore on the same account.

Dwarkadas said that Sahara has now taken a stand that it is not liable to pay the I-T dues.