Cal HC rejects Pawan Ruia's petition to quash FIRs against him

The Calcutta High Court rejected today a petition by industrialist Pawan Ruia for quashing FIRs against him in connection with several alleged incidents of fire and theft in Jessop premises and alleged thefts in Dunlop India Ltd.

An FIR was registered against Ruia on a complaint by Railways ministry on theft of its goods worth Rs 50 crore which went missing from the Jessop factory premises in Dum Dum in the city.

A major fire had broke out in the Jessop factory on October 17, 2016. Before it several incidents of fire were reported from the factory.

Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty dismissed the petition that sought quashing of five FIRs against Pawan Ruia, who is the chairman of Ruia Group.

The Ruia Group had taken control of Dunlop in 2005 and is also in control of Jessop India Ltd.

The FIRs were in connection with a fire in the Dunlop factory at Sahaganj in Hooghly district, theft in the factory and theft of property of Indian Railways given to Jessop and Company for construction of railway rolling stock.

Ruia had moved the court claiming that cases lodged against him were frivolous and instituted to harass him.

The prosecution opposed Ruia's prayer claiming that there were reasonable grounds for registering FIRs against Ruia.

Dunlop was a leading tyre manufacturer in the country, while Jessop was a leading engineering company which manufactured train coaches and wagons and other products.