Setback for Burmans as court stays Religare’s AGM, RBI’s approval for open offer
Live MintThe Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed Religare Enterprises Ltd's annual general meeting that was scheduled for 31 December as well as the approval granted by the Reserve Bank of India to the Burman family to make an open offer to acquire an additional 26% stake in REL. Mishra’s plea stated that the shareholding of 73,263 persons who hold up to ₹2 lakh worth of REL stock each would be adversely affected by the consolidation of four Burman family entities—Puran Associates, VIC Enterprises, M B Finmart, and Milky Investment & Trading Company—to acquire an additional stake in REL. Mishra argued that after the Burman family—the promoters of consumer goods company Dabur Ltd—announced their intention to increase their stake in REL there had been volatility and disputes surrounding the family’s open offer. Proxy advisory firms InGovern and Institutional Investor Advisory Services have called for voting against a fresh five-year term for Saluja on REL's board, arguing that the protracted battle between the Saluja-led management and the Burman family and the resultant litigation could be a distraction for the company's board.