Above: Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh. Photo/Facebook
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked brother Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh, former promoters of the Ranbaxy group, to be present for hearing in connection with the Daiichi Sankyo case. The next hearing is scheduled for March 28.
The court was hearing the plea of Japanese firm Daiichi Sankyo, which is seeking to recover the Rs 3,500 crore awarded to it by a Singapore tribunal in its case against the brothers, agencies reported. The Japanese firm, which has filed the contempt plea against the Singh brothers in the apex court, has said that it was promised some shares of Fortis Healthcare by the brothers.
The brothers, once close buddies and founders of a multibillion dollar pharmaceutical empire fell out after the salwe of the Ranbaxy group and they went their separate ways. The bitter parting even led to fisticuffs.
The hearing in the apex court had its lighter moments thanks to the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. When Shivinder once told the court that that he had become a ‘sadhu’ & renounced the world and hence, he isn’t anymore into money & business, his lawyer PS Patwalia tells the court that Shivinder has “come back to the world in December 2017″ At that point the CJI intervened to say “”If you have a debt to pay, your renouncing the world wouldn’t matter to us…and now that your lawyer says you’ve come back to the world. Start thinking about money.”
Earlier once the CJI said “ This is perhaps your first time in the SC. And let the next appearance be the last time. When Harish Salve, counsel for one of the brothers suggested that “Fali Nariman (appearing for Daiichi Sankyo) suggest a next date since he’s the senior most”, the senior lawyer replied: “Thankfully I am only the senior most & not a debtor”
.”It is a question of honour. It doesn’t do good for the country. You were once the flag- bearers of this country. Pay your debts and come out of this,” the CJI advised the brothers as he fixed the next date.
–India Legal Bureau
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