Wipro Chairman Azim Premji Gets Relief As Allahabad High Court Quashes Criminal Case

The Allahabad High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against Azim Premji, holding that a company chairman cannot be prosecuted merely because of his position unless there is clear evidence showing his direct involvement in the alleged offence.

The case arose from alleged labour law violations connected to a Wipro office in Lucknow. The violations were reportedly discovered during an inspection of security services provided by G4S Secure Solutions India, an independent contractor engaged by Wipro. Based on the complaint, criminal proceedings were initiated against Premji and others.

Before the Court, Premji argued that he was based in Bengaluru and had no role in the day-to-day operations of the Lucknow office. He further submitted that labour law compliance, including payment of wages, provident fund contributions, and other statutory obligations, was the responsibility of the outsourced security agency under a contractual arrangement.

Justice Zafeer Ahmad accepted these arguments and observed that the complaint contained no specific allegation showing Premji’s personal involvement in the alleged violations. The Court reiterated that criminal liability cannot be imposed solely on the basis of a person's designation unless the law specifically creates such liability or there is evidence of active participation in the offence.

The High Court also criticised the magistrate’s summoning order, describing it as mechanical and lacking proper reasoning. It noted that the order failed to discuss the evidence, relevant legal provisions, or Premji’s role in the alleged misconduct.

Holding that continuation of the proceedings would amount to an abuse of the legal process, the Court quashed the summoning order and all consequential proceedings against Premji.