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Chettinad dispute: Adopted son alleges A C Muthiah playing foul

A C Muthiah says he will take action against M A M R Muthiah, who alleged the former got M A M Ramasamy's signature when he was ill

M A M R Muthiah

BS Reporter Chennai
The battle inside the Chettinad group of companies, which has interest in the cement, education, logistics and other sectors, is intensifying.

M A M R Muthiah, group managing director of Chettinad Cement and adopted son of industrialist and former member of Parliament M A M Ramaswamy, alleged on Wednesday that industrialist A C Muthiah, also his uncle, and two more members had illegally taken his father's shares in Chettinad Cement. They had, he alleged, taken a signature and thumb impression from his father when the latter was not conscious.

Muthiah, the son, said his father, Ramaswamy, had been unwell for months. On November 7, he learnt his father had been hospitalised. His father, he alleged, was not conscious and not in a position to take decisions on his own.
 

"I am regularly visiting my father ever since and during my absence and taking advantage of my father's health, A C Muthiah and A R L Sunderesan (advocate), with the help of Dr Madan Mohan (a doctor at the hospital) seem to have taken the thumb impression and signatures of my father in blank papers and other unfilled forms…to grab my father's movable and immovable properties and are creating documents."

Replied A C Muthiah: "I deny everything. It is absolute nonsense. M A M Ramaswamy asked me to consolidate his assets. He (M A M R Muthiah) is playing mean tricks. I will take action as I deem fit. I have been in the hospital day in and out and have been talking to the doctors and others."

If he (Muthiah, son) had behaved himself, his father would have given everything to him. MAM has now created a trust. It is his (MAM's) own trust. He (Muthiah, son) is playing mean tricks. It should not be encouraged."

It may be noted that son and father have been fighting at various courts and openly in the past year. Some months earlier, Ramaswamy publicly said he'd disowned his adopted son and declared that his assets would, after his death, go to a trust headed by A C Muthiah.

In Wednesday's statement, M A M R Muthiah went on to allege thumb impressions taken of his father in unfilled forms and intentions to "transfer shares held my his father in Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd to the Trusts run and administered by A C Muthiah and Sunderesan".

"Mohan (the doctor) seems to have given a certificate in order to help A C Muthiah and A R L Sunderesan in transferring the shares. All three of them, with a few other persons, are creating documents to grab the properties and make an illegal gain…A calculated fraud is being played. My father is incapable of doing anything," he said.

Mohan and Sunderesan could not be reached for a comment.

MAMR Muthiah claimed his family doctor told him his father's condition was deteriorating. Which is why those he'd accused were hurrying to create records and other documents. He said he'd come to know the accused had also approached Kotak Securities for transfer of 9,183,834 shared held in Chettinad Cement by his father to a trust run and administered by A C Muthiah and Sunderesan.

MAMR said he'd given a complaint to the city's police chief.

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First Published: Nov 19 2015 | 12:25 AM IST

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