The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday quashed the proceedings and cognisance order against Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani in a case filed by the Jharkhand Agriculture Marketing Board (JAMB) at a lower court in Ranchi alleging him of running nine separate Reliance Fresh Stores in Ranchi under single licence.
A total of nine quashing applications were filed at the Jharkhand High Court on behalf of Ambani after a Ranchi court took cognisance on the case filed by the JAMB and issued summons against him.
"The JAMB had filed a case against Ambani for not taking separate licences for the nine Reliance Fresh outlets being run in the city, while the company claims that they need not take any licence further as they are already having a licence for running the outlets," said Ambani's counsel Sanjay Dwivedi.
A writ application has already been initiated in this regard, which is still pending at the Jharkhand High Court, added Dwivedi.
The JAMB had filed a case against Reliance Fresh limited, Mukesh Ambani as well as the nine store managers in the City under Section 48 of Jharkhand Agricultural Produce Marketing Act on February 22, 2013.
"Quashing order had been issued regarding Ambani while the cases against the other two accused will remain pending in the court," he said.
The court of Justice RR Prasad observed in the quashing order that Mukesh Ambani was not the in-charge, nor he was the managing director of the company and has no role in running the Reliance Fresh Outlets in the city.
"The court quashed the petitions saying Ambani is not looking after the day-to-day affairs of the company and the allegations labelled against him are not clear hence, the proceedings could not be initiated against him," said the advocate.
The reliance fresh outlets had faced huge protest during the launch in Ranchi by the small traders, hawkers as well as fruit and vegetable vendors on May 13, 2007 and at least three of the five Reliance Fresh food outlets in Ranchi were vandalised by the protesters.
EoM