Chennai: The Madras high court on Wednesday stayed all further proceedings relating to two criminal complaints, pending before the Chief Judicial Magis
trate, Udhagamandalam, against Ness Wadia, a Mumbai-based businessman and managing director of Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited.
Justice M.S. Ramesh granted the interim stay on two separate petitions filed by Ness Wadia.
Posting the matter to April 4 for further hearing of the petitions, the judge also dispensed with the personal appearance of Wadia before the CJM until further orders.
In his petition, Wadia submitted that he was inducted as the managing director of Dunsandle Tea Estate owned by the Burmah Trading Corporation Limited in Nilgiris in 2016. The change in the management was duly notified to the deputy director of industrial safety and health concerned through a communication dated August 30, 2016.
While so, on July 13, 2017, the deputy director conducted an inspection in the tea factory to ensure compliance of statutory provisions. As far as he was concerned, there was no violation of any laws.
But, to his shock and surprise, the deputy director issued a show cause notice dated August 28, 2017 along with the inspection report stating that he has violated certain provisions of Factories Act and Rules, he added.
He said in response to the notice that he and the company gave their replies to the authorities on September 5, 2017. However, he received summons from the department threatening to prosecute him. Subsequently, two criminal complaints were filed against him before the CJM on November 9, 2017. Hence, he has filed the present petition, he added.
