NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday urged Bombay Dyeing Chairman Nusli Wadia and Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, to sit together and resolve their differences in a defamation case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde said, “You both are leaders in the industry, why don’t you talk and resolve the issue? In this day and age do parties such as yourselves need to pursue litigation like this.” The court also offered both the parties that it shall appoint a mediator if they agree.
Wadia had filed a criminal defamation suit against Tata Sons and its directors in 2016 after he was voted out of the Tata Group companies, of which he was a board member. On November 10, 2016, Tata Sons had sent a notice requisitioning a special extraordinary meeting. The said notice, it is alleged, contained false allegations and defamatory statements against Wadia.
Among the allegations were that Wadia was acting in concert with Tata Group former chairman Cyrus Mistry, against the interests of the company. It alleged that Wadia had not been conducting himself independently and that his actions put the future of Tata Steel in jeopardy. Wadia then filed criminal defamation and seek damages to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore.
Senior advocate Aryama Sundaram, appearing for Wadia, told the bench that the statements made in the notice requisitioning the special meeting and the subsequent leak of the same to the media was defamatory. However, CJI Bobde asked how the same constituted as defamation given the board moved against the persons they had grievances within a legal manner.
Sundaram clarified the criminal defamation action is not against the company for the resolution to remove Wadia from his position but against those who requisitioned the special meeting.