HC holds Vijay Raheja guilty for contempt of court orders

Mumbai, Dec 20 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today held Vijay Raheja, prominent architect and developer, guilty of contempt of court.

A division bench, comprising Justices S Radhakrishnan and S Vazifdar, fined him and his six family members Rs two thousand each and directed them to pay a sum of Rs 10 lakh as voluntary donation to the Legal Aid Society.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Gopal Raheja in 2004 against his brother Vijay Raheja for taking over a Rs 45 crore five-star hotel deal which they were supposed to handle jointly on a 50-50 basis.

Senior Counsel for Mr Gopal, Mr Janak Dwarkadas, told UNI that the court had earlier passed an order restraining the shareholders of the plot, where the hotel was to be constructed, from exercising any rights from their shares including voting rights.

However, despite the court orders, the shareholders, by voting, passed a resolution alloting shares in their company in favour of Vijay Raheja and his companies.

The court held this as contempt and passed the said directions.

The main dispute is still pending and will come up for hearing after the Christmas vacation.

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