HC stays CID probe against Mantri developers

 Bengaluru

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday stayed further investigation against M/s Mantri Developers Pvt Ltd., and its director Sushil P. Mantri and his son Prateek Mantree, a former director, in connection with two criminal cases registered against them for allegedly cheating the customers in Mantri Web City residential apartment project.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the interim order on the petitions filed by the company, and Mr. Mantri and his son. Both the father and son were recently arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department, which took over the two cases registered at the Cubbon Park police station in the city.

It was complained in the petition that the CID arrested them even after it was told to them that the High Court, in several of similar cases registered by a few other customers of the project, had already stayed criminal proceedings. 

The petitioners have also alleged that the CID had wrongfully invoked the provisions of the Banning of Unregulated Deposited Schemes Act in the present two cases even though it was not invoked in earlier cases. The BUDS Act excludes payments made towards consideration to acquire immovable properties like flats, the petitioners have contended.

It was also contended that Mr. Prateek Mantri has been erroneously arraigned as an accused even though he had resigned from the company two years ago.

While noticing the stay was granted in several petitions filed by them in 2019 and 2020 on the similar cases of cheating, the court stayed the investigation while tagging this petition along with the pending ones.