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A supreme court bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundaresh today granted a stay and leave to Azim Premji in a case pertaining to summons issued by a court in Bengaluru in 2017 based on a private complaint alleging illegal assets transfer(s). 
The court also ordered that the said order be placed before the division bench of Karnataka High Court.

Justice Kaul remarked that the court does not want to spend endless time on these judicial proceedings.
The court also noted that the contemners had not filed any reply to the contempt notice till date.

Mr. Subramanyam appearing for the respondent informed the court that they have filed an application for recalling of the contempt proceedings. The court however directed the respondents to file a reply to the contempt notice and place the same before the Karnata High Court one day before the date of hearing, which is October 18, 2021.

The Karnataka High Court had in March imposed a cost on the respondent for filing multiple petitions against Premji and others over the same issue. It was contended by S.Ganesh, Senior Advocate that the respondents failed to deposit the cost(s).

Ganesh further told the court that fresh proceedings are filed everyday in Karnataka, Mumbai and Delhi and requested the court to pass an order restraining persons from initiating such proceedings till October 20, 2021.

The court responded saying that they cannot pass such an all encompassing order, adding that they would like to see what the High Court does in this regard and take a call subsequently.

The above proceedings transpired in a complainant filed by India Awake for Transparency (IAT), an NGO,  alleging that Azim Premji, Yaseem Azim Premji and Pagalthivarthi Srinivasan alleging breach of trust and corruption in merger of three firms with a Premji group firm and illegality in the transfer of assets worth Rs 45,000 crore from three companies into a private trust and a newly formed company.

Premji and others contended before the SC that complainant NGO had suppressed material facts and documents including that the scheme of amalgamation had already been sanctioned by Karnataka High Court by order dated March 26, 2015. They further contended that the summons were issued without any application of mind.

The matter is now listed before the court on December 2, 202.

Case Title: Azim Hasham Premji Vs. India Awake for Transparency & Ors.