Nine JSW-Dolvi Works directors booked for cheating

Nine directors of JSW-Dolvi Works were booked by the Raigad police under the charges of misusing the government land, cheating and violation of the Environment Protection Act on the directions of the high court, police said today.

However, JSW Steel has dismissed the allegations as "baseless".

"On the directions of high court under section 156/3, Vadkhal police have registered an offence against nine directors and other persons under various sections of IPC on February 6," Vadkhal police station senior inspector Uttam Sonawane told PTI.

They were booked under sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 447 (punishment for criminal trespass) and 120 B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
 

A complaint in this regard was filed in the high court by a social activist against the board of directors of JSW and others alleging breach of Environment Protection Act in 2010 while establishing the Dolvi plant when JSW took over the company from Ispat group, the officer said.

When contacted, JSW joint MD Seshagiri Rao told PTI," We scrupulously follow the law of the land and the allegations are baseless and we take appropriate legal recourse to defend our position."

Police said it was alleged the directors had entered into a conspiracy with government officials for misusing government land.

The 3.3 MTPA integrated steel plant at Dolvi in Raigad district, in which majority stake was acquired in 2010, is an inherent part of JSW Steel.

The case has been transferred to Local Crime Branch (LCB) for investigation, Sonawane said.

"We have to collect some documents from Revenue department of state as well as company registration office to come to the conclusion about the violations and the specific names of then directors of JSW-Dolvi Works," the inspector said.

Raigad superintendent of police Anil Paraskar said they have registered an offence against the nine directors and other persons on the directions of the court for "breaching Environment Protection Act and under relevant sections of IPC including cheating and criminal conspiracy. Our investigation is on.