Mumbai-based Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court seeking vacation of the status order that stalled its merger process with Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court on April 25 had directed the BSE and NSE not to approve the merger while admitting a petition by retail investors alleging insider trading in the $4-billion deal.
The two retail investors ? Tammali Shiva Kumar and Undi Venkatasubbaraju ? alleged that Silver Street, a limited-liability partnership firm owned by two subsidiaries of Sun Pharma, was involved in the insider trading of Ranbaxy shares.
They alleged that there was heavy trading of the Ranbaxy stock before the merger with Sun Pharma on April 6.
Stating that any delay in the merger would hurt Ranbaxy’s 182,721 and its 139,546 shareholders, Sun Pharma in its petition before the apex court said the allegation of insider trading was based on ?mere surmises, conjectures and assumptions?.
Questioning the jurisdiction of the AP HC to entertain the petition as the registered offices of none of the firms are located in Hyderabad, Sun Pharma said allegations of insider trading can be investigated independently by Sebi and there was no bar in initiating such investigation even if the scheme of arrangement would have been approved.
