HDFC Bank CEO moves Bombay High Court over FIR by Lilavati Trust

HDFC Bank CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan seeks to quash false bribery FIR, alleging malicious intent to tarnish reputation.

HDFC Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sashidhar Jagdishan has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking quashing of the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against him by Prashant Mehta, a permanent trustee of the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust, which oversees Lilavati Hospital. The FIR accused him of accepting a sum of ₹2.05 crore as a bribe to help the Chetan Mehta Group allegedly retain illegal control of the charitable trust. 

In his petition, Mr. Jagdishan has denied all allegations, terming the complaint as “false and motivated,” and arguing that the FIR is a clear abuse of the process of law intended to malign his reputation. 

When the petition came up for hearing on Wednesday (June 18, 2025) before a Division Bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Rajesh Patil, both the judges recused themselves from hearing the case.  

Later in the day, the case was mentioned before another Division Bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal and Justice Shyam Chandak, but Justice Kotwal recused from hearing the matter.

The matter will now be reassigned to a new Bench by an administrative order of the Chief Justice and will be heard in due course of time.

The FIR lodged earlier this month on June 6, with the Bandra Police Station under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), and 420 (cheating) under Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, by the Trust through its authorised representative Prashant Mehta.  

The FIR was filed pursuant to an order of a Magistrate court at Bandra, following the Trust’s application under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.