Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court Wednesday extended until Nov 17 the interim protection granted to Ola Electric Technologies CEO and MD Bhavish Aggarwal, and its homologation engineering head Subrat Kumar Das in connection the alleged suicide of the firm’s engineer K Aravind on Sept 28.In his order, Justice Mohammad Nawaz, however, added that the petitioners have to cooperate in the ongoing investigation into the case. This was after additional state public prosecutor BN Jagadeesh submitted that the petitioners only sent letters when police issued notices requiring their appearance for the investigation.“There is already a direction of this court not to harass the petitioners in the guise of investigation. That direction shall continue. Petitioners shall cooperate with the investigation of the case,” Justice Nawaz observed while directing the matter to be listed on Nov 17.Earlier, senior advocate MS Shyamsundar, appearing for the petitioners, claimed that the suicide note by the deceased is not true. He added that he has a strong doubt that complainant Ashwin Kannan, the brother of the deceased, may be the narrator of the document.He claimed that interviews and photographs circulated by the complainant have adversely affected the petitioner company’s image and business, with falling share prices, and also led to an exodus of employees.However, the submission made by counsel for the petitioners drew a strong response from counsel P Prasanna Kumar, representing the complainant. Kumar termed that the petitioner company is worse than the East India Company.“They (petitioners) cannot make such allegations against the complainant. Let police investigate as to who has written it (suicide note),” he added. Aggarwal and others are seeking the quashing of the FIR registered against them on charges of abetment to suicide.The FIR was registered on Oct 6 by Subramanyapura police, based on a complaint by the brother of Aravind. It is claimed that the engineer left behind a suicide note alleging workplace harassment and denial of his salary dues and other perks by the petitioners.
