NEW DELHI (India CSR): The Delhi High Court issued a stay order on proceedings relating to a first information report (FIR) that was lodged against automobile behemoth Hero MotoCorp, its Chairman Pawan Munjal, and other officials. The case revolves around accusations of bill forgery.
Details of the FIR
Allegations
The Delhi Police registered the FIR this week following a complaint that accused certain officials of Hero MotoCorp of forgery, falsification of accounts, criminal conspiracy, and cheating.
Main Players Involved
The report highlighted Pawan Munjal, Vikram Kasbekar, and Hari Gupta as the key figures implicated in the case.
Hero MotoCorp’s Statement
The company countered the charges, stating that the case was rooted in an older dispute dating back to 2009-10 involving a displeased service provider named Brains Logistics Pvt Ltd, under the leadership of Roop Darshan Pandey. Brains Logistics, formerly associated with Hero Honda Company, alleges that the aforementioned individuals played a part in forging, cheating, and falsifying records. The contentious bills, amassing Rs 5.95 crore for 2009 and 2010, were unjustly charged to the complainant, Brains Logistics argues.
Discrepancies over Bill Dates
Brains Logistics maintains that its contract with Hero MotoCorp concluded on March 31, 2009. Hence, any subsequent billings associated with them are allegedly doctored.
Additional Individuals Mentioned
The complaint includes the name of Manjula Banerji, who served as the company auditor in 2009 and 2010 and is identified as being affiliated with Deloitte Haskins & Sells.
Petition Insights
Today’s petition states that Brains Logistics intentionally misinformed the Delhi court. The contested bills aren’t the monthly invoices, but rather summary sheets of the said bills. The petition also highlights the historical name transition of the company from ‘Hero Honda Motors Ltd.’ in the 1980s to ‘Hero MotoCorp Ltd.’ in 2011. The name change doesn’t negate or falsify the documents from 2009 and 2010. Hero MotoCorp contends that Brains Logistics knowingly misled the court by presenting the documents incorrectly, prompting the Magistrate to register the FIR.
Earlier Scrutiny of Hero MotoCorp
Separately, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had probed Munjal and other associated individuals in August concerning a suspected money laundering case. The ED had conducted searches at Munjal’s properties in Delhi and Gurgaon. Responding to this, the company confirmed its cooperation with the agency. This ED investigation sprung from a complaint lodged against Munjal by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), an arm of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
Hero MotoCorp’s Appeal
Concluding the series of events, Hero MotoCorp has called for the nullification of the trial court’s directive and all subsequent proceedings arising from it.
(India CSR)
