The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of Mr Shishir Bajaj, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Bajaj Hindusthan Ltd, Mr Siddharth Shriram, Chairman of the DCM Group, besides top officials of other private sugar companies.

Mr Bajaj, Mr Shriram and others had filed a petition in the High Court against the first information reports (FIRs) filed by the Uttar Pradesh Government, charging them with forgery, cheating, under-weighing sugarcane, purchasing cane illegally and violating provisions of the Essential Commodities Act.

Cases have been booked against the mills under non-bailable offence.

While staying the arrest of the petitioners, a division bench headed by Mr Justice Imitiaz Murtaza directed the Uttar Pradesh Government and sugarcane cooperative societies to file their reply before the next hearing scheduled in the second week of February.

Besides Bajaj Hindusthan and DCM group, others against whom FIRs have been filed are Mr Gautam Morarka of Dwarikesh group, Mr Dhruv Sahani of Triveni group, Mr Gurumeet Singh Maan of Simbhaoli group and officials of Modi Sugars and Mawana Sugar.

Similar FIRs filed against the sugar companies last year are pending in various courts of the State.

The FIRs were lodged after officials of the sugarcane department raided various sugar mills.

Two days ago, the Uttar Pradesh tax Commissioner, Mr Chandrabanu, said in a press release that officials of his department recovered Rs 15 crore tax money in raids conducted on seven sugar mills of western part for unaccounted trade worth Rs 750 crore.

The mills had flouted the rule to pay 2 per cent tax on the sale of sugar in another municipal limit.

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