Goregaon finfluencer case: Darwin Group's chairman seeks bail from Mumbai Sessions Court

Ashesh and Shivangi Mehta, the directors of Bliss Consultants. File pic

AJAY Harinath Singh, chairman of the Darwin Group of Companies, has sought anticipatory bail from the Mumbai Sessions Court amid concerns of being arrested in a R200 crore arbitration investigation led by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW). The investigation involves Denron Rea IT Private Limited and Bliss Consultants. Singh defended himself, stating, "I am a victim of circumstances, and there are no grounds for any criminality against me."

The court, after reviewing Singh's application, set the next hearing for October 24. Until then, it has prohibited any action against him and directed Singh to report to the EOW's office every other day, ensuring full cooperation with the investigation.

In connection to the same case, the EOW had earlier arrested advocate Amit Chaurasiya and his senior lawyer, Dharmendra Patel, who represented Denron Rea IT Private Limited. Fearing arrest, Patel applied for anticipatory bail at the Additional Sessions Court, but his plea was denied. However, he was granted five days of interim relief on the condition of cooperating with the EOW's inquiry.

During Patel's bail hearing, the court reiterated its directives regarding Singh. Patel has since filed for anticipatory bail with the high court, and his hearing is scheduled for next month, offering him some temporary relief while prohibiting his arrest in the meantime.

The case stems from a complaint filed by Nikki Shaha, who holds power of attorney for Ashish Mehta, a partner in Bliss Consultants. The complaint alleges that Denron Rea IT submitted fraudulent documents in the Mehta couple's name to secure an arbitration order worth R200 crore.

Furthermore, it was alleged that a fake individual, Sabir Rafique Khan, impersonated Mehta before the arbitrator. As a result, the FIR, initially registered at Andheri Police Station, was transferred to the EOW for further investigation. The FIR names Denron Rea IT, along with its directors Hariprasad Akalu Paswan, Rameshkumar Yadav, and Sabir Rafique Khan, as accused.

During the investigation, Denron director Hariprasad Paswan denied involvement in the fraudulent R200 crore arbitration case against Bliss Consultants, claiming his signatures were forged, and alleging that the entire operation was orchestrated by Ajay Harinath Singh and his associate Ajay Kumar Pasi. Paswan said, "All fraudulent documents and proceedings against Bliss Consultants have been initiated, orchestrated, and perpetrated by Ajay Harinath Singh, aided by advocate Dharmendra V Patel and Ajay Kumar Pasi for reasons best known to them."

The EOW's investigation revealed that the documents presented had indeed been fraudulently prepared. Advocate Amit Chaurasiya, who assisted Dharmendra Patel in preparing the documents, was arrested. Following Chaurasiya's arrest, Mehta's lawyer grew suspicious that the transaction documents submitted by Denron to the high court were also forgeries.

The court approved an inspection of these documents, and it was found that the signatures on the agreements did not match those of the Mehta couple, according to their lawyer, Hemant Ingle.