FIR against Breach Candy Club management over ‘irregularities’

“The committee members have used the money given by the trustees/members to the trust for their personal benefit,and have in the process forged papers,” the report alleged. The FIR has sought to invoke several sections of the Indian Penal Code,which pertain to criminal breach of trust,cheating,forgery,giving false statements on oath and disappearance of evidence.

Senior Police Inspector Rajaram Prabhu of Gamdevi police station said the complaint had been registered based on an order based by court. “It was an internal dispute between the complainants and accused,which went to court and we were directed to file a complaint in the matter. We have on Wednesday started the process of recording statements of the complainants. We will soon call the accused for questioning,after which we will decide the course of action,” Prabhu said.

Managing committee member Jeanette Anand refused to comment on the issue. While Captain Vikram Malik,secretary of the managing committee,said he was busy,Lalit Aggarwal could not be contacted. Committee chairman Dipesh Mehta’s phone was switched off. All of them have been named in the FIR.

According to its constitution,the BCSBT has members of various categories approved by the city civil court in 1967. These include trust members (open to Europeans citizens only),ordinary members (Indian citizens),and honorary life members (those who have been granted membership on account of exceptional service rendered to the trust). At present,membership fee for entry to the elite club is around Rs 1.2 crore.

According to the BCSBT constitution,the managing committee is run by trust members alone,while the custodian trustee (preferably an institution,otherwise a committee of three trust members) looks after the club’s immovable assets. As per article 16 of the trust’s constitution,the custodian trustees and managing committee remain independent of each other.

The FIR alleged that ordinary trustees had become a part of the managing committee in violation of the trust’s constitution. Moreover,the FIR alleges that in 2011,the custodian trusteeship changed hands and managing committee members Rohit Barman,Captain Vikram Malik,and Dipesh Mehta took additional charge. Following this,illegal renovations and construction had been made within the club premises,affecting the immovable property of the trust,it alleged.

The FIR also alleges that Aggarwal was made a member of Breach Candy Club under false circumstances in 2010. Along with this,signed statements from members,who allegedly nominated Aggarwal for membership,have been attached to the report claiming otherwise. The FIR also alleged that Mehta,the committee’s former legal advisor,has allegedly influenced the appointment of his own firm as the club’s latest legal advisor.

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