Mukesh aide dares ADAG to lodge complaint

Scoffing at allegations of "criminal attempt" to frustrate the transfer of new companies to Anil Ambani's group, Sandeep Tandon, a key aide of Mukesh Ambani, today dared the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) to file a criminal complaint and said he was willing to face the consequences.

Amid the renewed battle between the Ambani siblings over giving effect to the ownership settlement in the Reliance empire, Tandon pooh-poohed the attack on him as an exercise to create media hype for gaining control of the four companies carved out of Reliance Industries.

Asserting that the listing of the demerged companies had to be done by Reliance Industries, Tandon said: "We just want to do that (listing) before handing over control to protect the interest of shareholders.

"There has been continued attempts by the Anil camp to block that process," he said, adding that after much effort they were able to complete the listing formalities for three demerged companies and had written to the Bombay Stock Exchange to expedite the process.

Reacting to Tandon's statement yesterday, a spokesperson of ADAG had accused Mukesh's side of "criminal attempt" to frustrate the transfer of shares to it while questioning the independence of Tandon and L V Merchant who are on the board of the four new companies to be transferred to ADAG.

Asked about the allegations against him, Tandon said: "There is no criminality. They (Anil camp) are just trying to create a media hype to force transfer of the companies before listing.

"If they think there is any criminal intention, they should file a criminal case against me. I am ready to go to jail if I am proved guilty."