Shalimar directors get 3-yr jail

CHANDIGARH:For non-compliance of its order and failing to pay the due amount, the UT State Consumer Commission has ordered RK Aggarwal and Kamlesh Aggarwal, directors of Shalimar Estates Private Limited, to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of three years and pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each in two cases.

Shalimar directors RK Aggarwal and his wife Kamlesh

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 10

For non-compliance of its order and failing to pay the due amount, the UT State Consumer Commission has ordered RK Aggarwal and Kamlesh Aggarwal, directors of Shalimar Estates Private Limited, to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of three years and pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each in two cases.

The company, Shalimar Estates, was also sentenced to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each in the two cases.

The convicts had agreed to pay Rs 92,78,455 and Rs 76,24,060 in the two cases to the complainants through post-dated cheques on August 28, 2016. It was agreed between the parties that in case the cheques were dishonoured, the opposite parties would pay interest of 12 to 15 per cent per annum on the amount.

When they failed to do so, two execution applications were filed in the commission with a prayer to let punishment be awarded to the judgment debtor(s) for failing to pay. “...On production of both convicts, they were again given an opportunity to comply with the orders dated February 24, 2015, but they expressed their inability to do so..,” said the court.

Earlier, they were arrested by the Panchkula police on November 2 last year in the Rs 70 crore mall fraud case. Last year, Vimal Gupta and 22 others had got a cheating case registered against them.

Over 100 complainants had alleged that they were promised shops in Shalimar Mall in Sector 5, Panchkula, but despite making the payment, they were not given the possession of the shops and even the money was not returned.

Innet Aggarwal, son of the convicted couple, was imprisoned on May 17 last year by the consumer commission. He later got bail from the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The mall was opened in 2009 and it closed down in 2015 following several plaints against it. The owners also failed to pay Rs 6.68 crore property tax to the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula.