Tuesday, August 2 2005 20:46 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court today (Aug 2, 2005) directed the police not to take any coercive action against Lord Swaraj Paul and his son Angad in connection with a criminal case filed by a city-based finance company after the London-based industrialist had alleged that the case has been initiated as 'an act of vengeance'.

Hearing an application by the Labour Peer and his son Angad for quashing of criminal proceedings, Justice P N Sinha passed an interim order restraining the city police from taking any coercive action, while directing the petitioners to cooperate with the investigating agencies.

In two separate petitions Lord Paul and Angad Paul submitted that the criminal proceedings against them were initiated by Machino Finance Pvt Limited as, "an act of vengeance with an ulterior object of harassing the petitioners" and the investigation was ordered by the lower court on a 'frivolous complaint.'

The counsel for Lord Paul, Pradip Ghosh, submitted that Machino Finance, a company de facto owned by M D Jindal who is Lord Paul's brother-in-law, is neither a director nor a shareholder of Caparo Maruti Limited and hence the allegations made in the complaint did not constitute any offence.

While describing the achievements of Lord Paul in business as well as in the political field the counsel submitted, "It is unfortunate that despite such an illustrious career the petitioner is required to face an oblivious, false and frivolous prosecution launched at the instance of his close relative for satisfying his personal vendetta."