Lilavati Trust files Rs 1,000-crore defamation suit against HDFC Bank, its CEO
The criminal complaint against CEO Jagdishan alleges that he made malicious and derogatory statements against the Trust and its permanent trustee

The Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMM Trust), which oversees the Lilavati Hospital in Bandra (West), has filed a defamation suit against the HDFC Bank and its Managing Director and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan, seeking Rs 1,000 crore in damages.
The Trust along with its authorised representative and trustee Prashant Mehta filed the suit in the Bombay High Court against Jagdishan, HDFC Bank and others. The Trust filed the suit last week, claiming the bank was running a “deliberate and sustained smear campaign” against it.
The Trust has also filed a criminal defamation complaint before the magistrate court in Girgaon under sections 356 (1) (defamation), 357 (breach of contract), among others, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). As per case records, the magistrate court on June 16 issued notice to the bank, Jagdishan and others, and posted further hearing to July 18.
The criminal complaint against Jagdishan alleges that he made malicious and derogatory statements against the Trust and its permanent trustee. “The legal action aims to counter what the Trust views as a coordinated campaign to malign its reputation and obstruct its operations as a public charitable institution,” a statement by the Trust stated.
Earlier this week, Jagdishan approached the Bombay High Court, challenging the FIR filed against him on a complaint filed by the Trust, which has accused him of accepting a bribe of Rs 2.05 crore to help a group consisting of one Chetan Mehta and other erstwhile trustees to retain illegal control over the Trust.
On May 29, the magistrate court had ordered the Bandra police to register offences punishable under sections 406, 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and had directed the police to probe the matter as per section 175 (3) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The Bandra police registered the FIR on May 31.