HC refuses to stay proceedings against Ruia in Jessop fire

The Calcutta High Court today refused to stay proceedings against businessman Pawan Ruia in connection with a case filed by the CID following a fire at Jessop's factory here and directed him to cooperate in the investigation.
Vacation judge Justice Samapti Chatterjee, while refusing to stay proceedings against Ruia, however, directed the CID not to take any coercive action against the Ruia Group chairman till further orders.
Justice Chatterjee directed Ruia to cooperate in the investigation.
Justice Chatterjee also directed that Ruia's application seeking quashing of the case against him be heard by a regular bench in December.
Ruia moved the high court seeking quashing of the case filed against him by the CID, claiming that he is not the chairman of Jessop and that he is neither the director nor a shareholder, or an occupier of Jessop and Co Ltd or any of its premises.

His counsel Bikash Bhattacharya wondered while submitting before the court how his name can be dragged into the issue given the present position of Ruia.
Ruia had bought majority stake in the ailing heavy engineering firm Jessop in 2003 when the Government of India sold off the public sector undertaking.
The Mamata Banerjee government, however, passed a Bill in the state Assembly earlier this year for taking over the company again from Ruia Group, where production has remained suspended for a substantial time.