

India’s first class action suit teeters as lead shareholder exits Jindal Poly Films case
India’s first class action suit has hit an unexpected hurdle: Ankit Jain, the lead minority shareholder in the ₹2,500-crore siphoning case against Jindal Poly Films, is looking to walk away. Having sold his shares in the company, Jain, who previously represented a 4.99% minority stake alongside other petitioners, has now moved to exit the landmark legal battle.Jain’s legal team informed the Delhi principal bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Thursday that he had divested his entire shareholding and no longer had the legal standing to appear as a petitioner leading the class action.
Jain was among the original petitioners, along with Rina Jain and Ruchi Jain Hanasoge, who held a combined 4.99% stake in the company when the case was filed in March 2024.The tribunal was informed that a new shareholder was willing to step in as a petitioner in place of Jain. The NCLT has sought responses from other parties on whether they had any objection to such substitution.
It will also examine the legality of allowing a new shareholder to join midway through the proceedings. The next hearing has been scheduled for 30 April.Jain’s exit is a significant development in what is widely seen as India’s first corporate class action suit under Section 245 of the Companies Act, 2013.Section 245 allows a group of shareholders to file a single case before the NCLT if they believe a company is acting unfairly or causing losses to investors.
Shareholders holding at least 2% in a listed company can jointly seek action for fraud, mismanagement or wrongful conduct. The provision was introduced in 2013, following the Satyam scandal, to better protect minority shareholders.The petition alleged more than ₹2,500 crore was siphoned from
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