TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2026 (7) TMI 1951
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....i Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute at Mumbai. The limited grievance raised in the present petition is that Respondent No. 2, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), has initiated an investigation involving some companies, pursuant to Orders dated 30.10.2025 and 12.11.2025 passed by Respondent No. 1, i.e. the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), however, the respondents have neither furnished copies of the said orders nor the material forming the basis thereof, despite requiring the petitioner to participate in the such investigation and furnish extensive information. 2. The brief facts, as set out in the writ petition, are that on 11.04.2026, the SFIO issued a notice to the petitioner under Section 217 of the Companies Act, 2013, stating that an investigation into the affairs of Reliance Home Finance Limited and certain other companies had been directed under Section 212 of the Companies Act pursuant to the aforesaid orders passed by the MCA. Vide the said order dated 11.04.2026, the petitioner was called upon to furnish extensive information and documents, including bank account statements, financial records and other documents pertaining to the period from....
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....ers and that it first became aware of their existence only through the reference contained in the notice issued by the SFIO. Thereafter, by an email dated 27.05.2026, the SFIO called upon the petitioner to furnish the requisite information on or before 05.06.2026. 4. The petitioner states that, on 05.06.2026, it submitted a detailed response expressing its willingness to cooperate with the investigation. However, it requested the SFIO to first furnish copies of the MCA orders dated 30.10.2025 and 12.11.2025 so as to enable it to ascertain the scope and basis of the investigation insofar as it concerned the petitioner. The petitioner also informed the SFIO that the information sought was voluminous, that certain records were available only from the financial year 2018-19 onwards, and sought six weeks' time from the receipt of the aforesaid orders to furnish the requisite information. According to the petitioner, despite the said request, neither the MCA orders nor the material forming the basis thereof have been furnished, nor has any response been given to its request. 5. It is further averred that, notwithstanding the above, the SFIO has continued with the investigation ....
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.... petitioner is not, at this stage, challenging the validity of the said orders and reserves its right to do so upon their disclosure in separate proceedings. 9. Per contra, the learned ASG appearing for the respondents submits that the present writ petition is premature and not maintainable. He submits that the investigation being conducted by the SFIO pertains to a larger group of companies and that several proceedings relating to the same investigation, including writ petitions seeking similar prayer, are already pending before the Bombay High Court. It is contended that if the documents sought by the petitioner are directed to be disclosed in the present proceedings, the same would also have a bearing on those proceedings and the ongoing investigation. It is further submitted that the petitioner's grievance is founded on the alleged violation of the principles of natural justice. However, the stage for compliance with the principles of natural justice has not yet arisen. According to the learned ASG, disclosure of the investigation orders and the material forming the basis thereof at this stage would impede the ongoing investigation as the companies under the investigation wo....
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....the respondents, and has perused the material available on record. 12. At the outset, it may be noted that the present petition has been filed at a stage when the investigation directed by the MCA under Section 212 of the Companies Act is admittedly in progress. The petitioner is not seeking to challenge the investigation itself. The limited prayer in the present petition is for supply of the MCA Orders dated 30.10.2025 and 12.11.2025 along with all the records and material forming the basis thereof, vide which such investigation was directed to by conducted. 13. Having heard learned counsels appearing for the parties at length, this Court is of the opinion that the proceedings being conducted by the SFIO are presently at a preliminary stage. The notice dated 11.04.2026 issued by the SFIO only called upon the petitioner to furnish information and documents, under Section 217 of the Companies Act. The said notice itself records that the Central Government has directed investigation into the affairs of Reliance Home Finance Limited and other related companies and it further informs the petitioner that, upon analysis of the bank account transactions and financial statements of t....