CHANDIGARH: On Wednesday, the special CBI court in Panchkula denied a clean chit to D. Vasudevan, CEO of Chintal Group, and rejected his request to dismiss the charges against him.
In his application, Vasudevan’s defense argued that the project was outsourced and executed by various agencies contracted by Chintal Group, thus absolving him of accountability. However, the judge, Rajiv Goyal, ruled that this argument—that Vasudevan’s responsibilities were confined to the administration and management of M/s Chintels India Private Limited—was not persuasive at this stage.
Vasudevan maintained that his role as CEO involved overall project management, rather than daily oversight of construction activities. The next hearing is scheduled for August 27, when the court will announce decisions regarding discharge applications from four additional defendants in the case.
Following public outcry, the Gurugram police filed a case, leading to the CBI’s subsequent investigation and the registration of a new FIR. The CBI has submitted two chargesheets: the first against Amit Austin, the promoter, and others, and the second naming Vasudevan as one of the accused. The defendants have contested the charges and filed applications for their discharge.
A thorough investigation conducted by a team from IIT Delhi revealed that poor construction practices and substandard materials used by the builder and their vendor were significant factors contributing to the incident.
The Collapse
On the evening of February 10, 2022, part of the living spaces in five apartments on Tower D of Paradiso collapsed, resulting in the deaths of Sunita Shrivastava and Rekha Bhardwaj. In response, the Haryana government commissioned IIT Delhi to perform a structural audit of Paradiso, which uncovered high chloride levels in the concrete, indicating accelerated corrosion throughout the building.
