Gujarat police register FIR against Cadila Pharmaceuticals CMD on rape charges

Ahmedabad : The Sola Police in Ahmedabad on December 31 filed a complaint of alleged rape, molestation and intimidation against the chairman and managing director of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Rajiv Modi.

The complaint that comes after a direction of the Gujarat High Court also mentions Johnson Mathew, one of the employees of the company.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals is one of the largest privately held pharmaceuticals companies in the country with headquarters in Ahmedabad.

A Bulgarian national, who had joined the company as a flight attendant, had moved the Gujarat High Court.

A complaint has been filed against Modi under sections 376, 504 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code, assistant police commissioner H M Kansagra told reporters.

The woman had reportedly filed an application with the Women’s Cell of the Police Department, but later on approached the High Court after the police allegedly failed to take action.

The Gujarat High Court has directed that the investigation be carried out by an officer of the rank of IPS and a report be submitted to the Court.

Deputy commissioner of police Lavina Sinha told a section of the media that the investigation will be conducted by a police inspector level officer and it will be supervised by an IPS rank officer. She also said that they would approach the Court and seek clarification as to who should conduct the investigation.

According to Sinha, the police would investigate and submit a report to the court. He held that the police cannot take action on it.

The Gujarat High Court in its order dated December 22, directed the chief judicial magistrate to pass an order of investigation by a competent police official into the complaint.

In her plea in the Gujarat High Court, the Bulgarian woman had sought that the police should register an FIR against Modi, 63, on what she described as rape, assault, criminal intimidation and human trafficking. Apparently, there are other charges also.

The complainant had held in the Court that the police had failed to investigate the case and register an FIR.

She told that court that she came to India on November 24, 2022 for a job as a flight attendant and joined the company. However, her job profile was changed and she was made a butler-cum-personal attendant and appointed to travel and remain with the CMD of the company.

She claimed that during her job, she was subjected to sexual harassment and she was removed from the job on April 3, 2023 when she did not surrender to the “illicit demands”.

The Bulgarian woman had reportedly written to the Bulgarian Embassy and other concerned offices in the matter. She alleged that she was pressured to withdraw her complaint and forced to file an affidavit with the Women’s Cell of the Police mentioning that she had settled the matter with the employee and got a demand draft of Rs 24 lakh for it.

Her next course of action was to file a second complaint with the police. She also filed a private complaint before a magisterial court, which dismissed the complaint.

In its order, the Gujarat High Court said that the magistrate was duty-bound to send the complaint for police investigation under section 156(3) of the CrPC as the offences were cognisable.

According to sources, as the case progressed, the v

The Sola Police in Ahmedabad on December 31 filed a complaint of alleged rape, molestation and intimidation against the chairman and managing director of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Rajiv Modi.

The Sola Police in Ahmedabad on December 31 filed a complaint of alleged rape, molestation and intimidation against the chairman and managing director of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Rajiv Modi.

police would examine the correspondences, including emails and text messages. It will also verify the documents.

It has been reported that emails and phone calls to Modi by a section of the media went unanswered.