FIR on SpiceJet’s Ajay Singh, officials surfaces after PF dues paid: Report

The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police had filed a case on September 16 against SpiceJet’s MD Ajay Singh as well as some other top officials on allegations of cheating and criminal conspiracy related to provident fund (PF) dues, the Economic Times reported.
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However, SpiceJet said on Friday, October 04, 2024, that it had deposited 10 months’ worth of PF dues. It also had said it cleared all its pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) payments and salary arrears after raising ₹3,000 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP).
“SpiceJet is pleased to announce that within the first week of raising fresh funds through the Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP), the airline has cleared all pending salary and GST dues and has made significant progress by depositing ten months of PF dues, and the process of clearing other outstanding dues ongoing,” the report quoted a spokesperson as saying.
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The September 16 EOW case followed a complaint by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) itself, which claimed the airline did not remit more than ₹65.7 crore in provident fund contributions, according to the report.
SpiceJet, which employs more than 10,000 workers, deducted 12% from the salaries for PF from June 2022 to July 2024, but this deducted amount wasn’t credited to the PF accounts of the employees within the mandatory 15-day period, according to the report.
The FIR named Ajay Singh, Shiwani Singh (Director), Anurag Bhargava (Independent Director), Ajay Chhotelal Aggarwal, and Manoj Kumar, according to the report.
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