No relief for Sahara ’gatecrasher’

The Allahabad High Court has refused to quash an FIR against a man accused of barging into the Sahara India's Noida office and threatening the staff.

No relief for Sahara 'gatecrasher'

The Allahabad High Court has refused to quash an FIR against a man accused of barging into the Sahara India's Noida office and threatening the staff.

A bench comprising Justices Ravinder Singh and Yogesh Chandra Gupta dismissed a petition by Neeraj Pandey, an accounts manager with a private firm, maintaining that prima facie the offence is made out against him on September 18.

The company had lodged an FIR against Pandey under sections 384, 385, 386, 504, 323 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 24 police station in Noida. He was also accused of threatening Sahara officials with initiating criminal proceedings against them, if he was not paid Rs 50 lakh.

"From the perusal of the FIR it appeared that on the basis of the allegations made therein a prima facie offence is made out. There is no ground for interference in the FIR. Therefore the prayer for quashing the impunged FIR is refused," the court observed, while disposing of Pandey's petition.

The court also directed the police that the plaintiff should not be arrested until credible evidence is gathered to prosecute him.

Pandey reiterated that he was being framed. "I was in my office that day. My employer has given a certificate that I was present in the office on August 11, when it is claimed that I visited Sahara's office. Nobody is allowed entry without proper registration at their office, how can I then barge into it. They must have records, if I visited their office," he said.u00a0

He also offered to prove his innocence by showing his cell phone records.

Pandey a subscriber to Sahara Swarn Yojna had filed a case against the Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited for allegedly failing to deliver on its promise to allot a house/flat in one of the company's township projects.