Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre: Lilavati trustee alleges Rs 500 crore scam by kin

The permanent trustee of the Mumbai-based Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre, Prashant Mehta, on Tuesday accused former trustees of misappropriation of trust funds. “Since the time we took over, we have unearthed a scam of ₹500 crore by the erstwhile board members which includes lawyer fees paid for internecine private disputes amongst trustees, bogus donations, and bogus advances to real estate companies for equipment purchases,” Prashant Mehta alleged. “As per the Supreme Court, we have to take a recovery action. We have filed (a complaint) before the charity commissioner.”
Prashant levelled allegations against his late uncle Vijay Mehta, cousin Niket Mehta and aunt Sushila Mehta.

The family feud to take control of the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust Board that runs the 319-bed hospital in Mumbai’s posh Bandra locality has led to multiple legal battles between family members.

The latest accusations come after Prashant’s cousin Niket Mehta (son of Vijay Mehta), who was the former managing trustee, raised questions over the legality of the current board and its legitimacy to appoint other trustees. Two trustees Kishor and Charu Mehta – Prashant’s parents – have appointed other trustees.

The current board includes Prashant’s father Kishor and mother Charu as permanent trustees for life and his brothers Rajiv and Rajesh among others as trustees.

Prashant has refuted the allegations, saying the new board replaces the previous board removed by the Assistant Charity Commissioner in December 2023 and it’s a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.