The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the Bengaluru police to continue investigating the death of a 38-year-old Ola Electric employee, even as the company’s CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal, questioned the authenticity of the suicide note allegedly left behind by the deceased.
A single-judge bench of Justice Mohammad Nawaz was hearing petitions filed by Aggarwal and Subrat Kumar Dash, head of Ola’s vehicle homologations department, seeking to quash the FIR registered under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for abetment of suicide. The FIR, lodged on October 6, stemmed from a complaint by the deceased engineer’s brother, who alleged workplace harassment and non-payment of dues drove his sibling to die by suicide on September 28.
During the hearing, senior advocate M.S. Shyamsundar, representing Aggarwal, questioned the genuineness of the suicide note and suggested that it might have been influenced or fabricated.
“I have a strong doubt that it is the brother of the deceased who is the narrator of this death note,” he told the court, adding that courts had repeatedly held that suicide notes were not “gospel truths”.
The submission drew sharp objection from the complainant’s counsel, P. Prasanna Kumar, who said, “Let him not make such submissions. It shows the company is worse than the East India Company. How can they make such an allegation against the brother? Let the police investigate who wrote the note.”
Shyamsundar also told the court that media coverage and social media discussions about Ola’s alleged “toxic work culture” were damaging the company’s image and affecting its stock value.
“My shares are dropping because of this. This is absolutely disparaging,” he said, urging the court to consider the reputational impact of the case.
Kumar countered that the issue before the court was not the company’s reputation but the circumstances surrounding the employee’s death.
Justice Nawaz directed the Bengaluru police to conduct a fair and impartial investigation and file a final report “within the four corners of law”.
“They have to conduct a fair investigation and file an appropriate final report,” the judge said, cautioning the police not to harass the petitioners.
The court clarified that while an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) had initially been filed, the subsequent FIR based on the brother’s complaint was valid and binding.
“UDR will be closed now, and they (police) have to act on this complaint,” Justice Nawaz observed.
Additional special public prosecutor B.N. Jagadeesha, appearing for the State, informed the court that Aggarwal and Dash had not yet appeared before investigators despite being issued notices.
The bench reiterated its earlier order—passed on October 17—that the petitioners must not be harassed while the police proceed with the investigation. The interim protection granted earlier was extended until November 17, the next date of hearing.
The deceased, a homologation engineer at Ola Electric, was found dead on September 28. His 28-page note reportedly accused company officials of workplace harassment and withholding salary and incentive payments. Two days after his death, ₹17.46 lakh was transferred by Ola to his account, prompting further suspicion, according to the complaint.
