The decade old enmity between former Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) chairman Dinshaw Mehta and his co-trustees Yazdi Desai and Khojeste Mistree resurfaced on October 15, 2020 when the Bombay police filed its first charge sheet at the Ballard Pier Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court. Mistree alleged Mehta appropriated funds to the tune of up to Rs 20 lakhs in the sale of tenancy rights in Dady House in the city’s Bora Bazar area (see "The Dady House debacle,” Parsiana, August 7, 2016). The building is in a dilapidated condition and the BPP chief executive officer Aspi Sarkari has given a notice dated October 26 to all occupants that the building is "likely to crash anytime” and that they should "vacate the premises and shift elsewhere till such time the building is repaired by the Repair Board and made safe for occupation.”
Dinshaw Mehta (l); Khojeste Mistree Photo: Jasmine D. Driver
Mehta was charged under sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty to induce delivery of property) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code, reported the mid-day (MD) of October 18. He was quoted in the newspaper stating, "This is a political crusade… against me. The case is false and I had requested the judge to expedite the case so that our names can be cleared.” The former chairman was released on payment of bail of Rs 15,000, stated MD.
Parsi Times (PT) weekly of October 17 noted that the complaint against Mehta to the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) was first filed by four BPP trustees, Desai, Mistree, Jimmy Mistry and Arnavaz Mistry. "The EOW did not act on the complaint claiming not enough facts were found to file a first information report (FIR),” stated the weekly. Reportedly aggrieved that the EOW was not acting on the complaint, Mistree filed one more complaint. "Since the police were found dragging their feet, Mistree moved the Court, which found enough prima facie evidence” and directed the filing of the FIR, PT stated.
The story was first broken by PT owned by BPP trustee and Mehta opponent Kersi Randeria. The Parsi Junction (PJ) online periodical of October 25, published by Mehta loyalist Kersi Sethna, in turn stated a FIR had been filed against Randeria by a Vikram Jagdale at the Ghatkopar police station for reneging on delivery of a flat supposedly booked by Jagdale in a slum development project undertaken by Randeria and others. Randeria claims no flat was booked.