Tata Trusts' MD moves HC against quashing of summons to Cyrus Mistry

Tata Trusts' Managing Trustee R Venkatramanan today moved the Bombay High Court against a sessions court order quashing summons issued to ousted Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry in connection with a defamation complaint filed by Venkatramanan.

A Mumbai sessions court, on December 26, had quashed the summons issued to Mistry and others in the Rs 500-crore defamation case.

A metropolitan magistrate's court had issued the summons in July 2017, directing Mistry and others to appear.

Venkatramanan's petition termed the sessions court's order as "arbitrary and illegal", saying the court exceeded its jurisdiction while examining the merits of the case.

The petition will come up for hearing before Justice Revati Mohite-Dere in due course, according to the high court roster.

Venkatramanan filed a criminal defamation complaint in the magistrate's court against Mistry and others last year for making "false" statements and sought Rs 500 crore as damages.

According to the complaint, after Mistry was ousted as the chairman of Tata Sons on October 24, 2016, he, in an e-mail to the directors and trustees of Tata Trusts, alleged that fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore had taken place at the group's aviation venture, AirAsia India, and accused Venkatramanan of having tried to cover them up.

The issue is now being probed by the Enforcement Directorate.

Venkatramanan said the e-mail, which was leaked to the media, caused "irreparable damage to his reputation".