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2021 (9) TMI 310 - HC - SEBIValidity of appointment of Grant Thornton Bharat LLP (GTB) as a Forensic Auditor in respect of the financial statements of the respondent No.2/company - conflict of interest - violation of the principles of natural justice - absence of cause of action within the jurisdiction of this Court for maintaining the present petition - HELD THAT:- The “cause of action” is a bundle of facts which when taken together, with the law applicable to the said facts, gives a right to the plaintiff to seek relief against the defendant. In other words, cause of action is premised on the existence of a group of facts put together that would entitle a plaintiff to approach the court for a remedy against the defendant. In UNION OF INDIA VERSUS ADANI EXPORTS LTD. [2001 (10) TMI 321 - SUPREME COURT], it was held by the Supreme Court that in order to confer jurisdiction on a High Court to entertain a writ petition, the averments in the writ petition must disclose that such integral facts have been pleaded in support of the cause of action that would empower a court to decide the dispute and it is not as if each and every fact pleaded in the petition would automatically lead to a conclusion that there would arise a cause of action within the territorial jurisdiction of a particular High Court, unless the facts are of such a nature that they would have a nexus or relevance with the lis involved in the case. It is also not in dispute that the sale proceeds of the shares of SAIPL to TMPPL, i.e., a sum of ₹ 1000-1200 crores had been placed in an escrow account held in trust for the shareholders and the very same Transaction Committee was required to deliberate upon and evaluate the various options available for distribution of the monies to the shareholders - It has not been denied by the respondent No.2/company that during this entire period when a decision was taken to delist the company and give an exit option to the public shareholders by offering them a floor price of ₹ 63.77 ps per share, Mr. Anoop Krishna was closely connected not only to the management, but also to the aforesaid promoters of the respondent No.2/company. We are unable to sustain the order dated 20.10.2020 passed by the respondent No.1/SEBI insofar as it has upheld the decision taken on 07.10.2020, of appointing GTB as a forensic auditor in respect of the financial affairs of the respondent No.2/company which is accordingly quashed and set aside - Petition allowed.
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