The High Court on Monday granted a conditional stay against the operation of some FIRs registered against Joseph Chacko, proprietor of Crown Plaza International Hotels and Resorts, who has been accused of cheating NRI investors by misappropriating  revenue from the service apartments built with their funds.

Joseph Chacko has petitioned the Court saying that the Central Crime Branch (CCB), Bangalore city had joined hands with the NRI investors and had registered multiple number of FIRs against him and the staff of his company, abusing the process of law.

Chacko is accused of luring NRI investors to invest lakhs of rupees each for a construction project including service apartments on an agreement as to sharing the revenue, and later cheating them by misappropriating the rents.

He has said that one of the investors, Chidambara, and others forming part of Crown Plaza Flat Owners Association (CPFOA) had filed criminal complaints on him in November 2006. While the same is still under investigation, subsequently several more similar FIRs have been registered by Hennur police, he has said in his petition while seeking to quash the subsequent FIRs.

The Court stayed the operation of about 14 impugned FIRs upon the condition that Chacko deposits Rs three crore by February 7, 2008.

The Court also ordered notices to Central Crime Branch, Hennur police, CPFOA on the petition.

‘Admit students’

The High Court on Monday directed TMA Pai College of Education, Mangalore to admit the 17 students selected by the Central Admission Cell, while passing an interim order on a writ petition by the Cell.

The Cell had moved the court alleging that the college had only admitted 33 students out of the 50 selected by it as per the Government seat matrix.