A fourth judge of the Bombay High Court has recused himself from hearing HDFC Bank CEO and Managing Director Sashidhar Jagdishan’s petition seeking to quash an FIR filed against him in a ₹2.05 crore bribery case linked to Lilavati Hospital. This continued pattern of recusals has delayed judicial scrutiny of the high-profile case, with no immediate clarity on when it will be heard.
The FIR was lodged by the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust, which alleged that Jagdishan accepted kickbacks for financial advice that allegedly helped former trustees, including Chetan Mehta, retain unlawful control over the trust. Jagdishan has denied the allegations and moved the High Court to get the FIR quashed, calling it malicious and baseless.
On Wednesday, the matter was listed before a division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad. However, Justice Ankhad recused himself from the case without citing any reason. Justice Ghuge recorded the recusal and said the case would now be placed before a different bench.
“Since brother Justice Gautam A. Ankhad recuses from hearing these matters, these matters would not be placed before the bench of which one of us is a member,” Justice Ghuge noted.
This marks the fourth recusal since the matter was first listed on June 18. On that day, Justice Rajesh Patil had stepped away from hearing the matter without elaboration, with Justice Ajey Gadkari observing that his colleague “does not take up matters relating to HDFC.”
Subsequently, Justice Sarang Kotwal also recused himself. On June 26, Justice Jitendra Jain withdrew from the case after disclosing that he held shares in HDFC Bank, following an objection by the counsel for the trust.
With repeated delays at the High Court, Jagdishan approached the Supreme Court. However, on July 4, a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan declined to entertain his plea, noting that the matter was already listed for July 14 in the High Court. “We will not apply our mind to the merits. If the matter is not heard on the 14th, you come back,” the bench said.
Now, with Justice Ankhad’s recusal, the July 14 hearing appears unlikely.
The backdrop of judicial recusals extends beyond Jagdishan’s case. In earlier proceedings unrelated to him but involving Lilavati Hospital, seven other High Court judges—Justices Revati Mohite Dere, G.S. Kulkarni, Arif Doctor, B.P. Colabawalla, M.M. Sathaye, R.I. Chagla, and Sharmila Deshmukh—had also stepped aside citing past associations with the trust.
The FIR against Jagdishan, registered on June 18, includes charges under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. Jagdishan has maintained that he has no involvement in the alleged wrongdoing and expressed concerns that the case is impacting his personal and professional reputation.
