CAIT demands action against Dhoni for endorsing realtor Amrapali

PTI, Jul 26, 2019, 11:05 AM IST

New Delhi: Traders’ body CAIT on Thursday wrote to Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan seeking action against cricketer M S Dhoni for his endorsement and advertisements promoting realtor Amrapali Group, whose registration has been cancelled by the Supreme Court.

Court-appointed forensic auditors have told the Supreme Court that Amrapali Group had entered into “sham agreements” with Rhiti Sports Management Pvt Ltd (RSMPL), which promotes brand of Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to “illegally divert” home buyers money.

The forensic audit report accepted by the top court on Tuesday said that Amrapali Sapphire Developers Pvt Ltd had paid Rs 6.52 crore, out of the total amount of Rs 42.22 crore, to RSMPL during 2009-2015.

In a release, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said that in a communication sent to Paswan it has demanded action against former Indian cricket team captain Dhoni for his endorsement and advertisements promoting Amrapali Group which has been found guilty by the Supreme Court in a decision made a day before.

The CAIT has said that endorsements by Dhoni have “greatly influenced” people to buy flats in Amrapali projects and since the builder is found guilty accountability also falls on Dhoni.

Asking for a stern action against Dhoni, CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal also urged Paswan to ensure passage of the Consumer Protection Bill in the current session of Parliament so that people could be saved from misleading and deceptive endorsements and advertisements by celebrities without verifying the facts whether the goods or services they are endorsing are worth of it or not.

On Tuesday, cracking its whip on errant builders for breaching the trust reposed by home buyers, the top court cancelled registration of Amrapali under the real estate law RERA, and ousted it from its prime properties in NCR by nixing the land leases.

The SC, which directed a probe by the ED into alleged money laundering by realtors, provided relief to over 42,000 home buyers of Amrapali Group with the verdict. It directed the state-run National Buildings Construction Corporation to complete stalled projects of the realtor, whose directors Anil Kumar Sharma, Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar are behind the bars on top court’s order.