Abusive Call Row: Kotak Group Says It Objected To Inappropriate Language Used By BharatPe MD

A leaked audio call had surfaced on social media carrying abuses allegedly being hurled at a Kotak Group employee by BharatPe CEO Ashneer Grover and a family member.

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New Delhi: Kotak Mahindra Bank on Sunday issued a statement revealing that it placed on record its objections to inappropriate language used by BharatPe’s co-founder Ashneer Grover. This comes after an audio clip went viral that had abuses allegedly being hurled by Grover at a Kotak Group employee.

The statement also mentioned the issue of legal notice sent to it by Ashneer Grover and his wife Madhuri Grover.

“This notice was received by us and was replied to appropriately at the time, including placing on record our objections to inappropriate language used by Mr. Grover. Appropriate
legal action is being pursued,” the bank’s statement read.

“We would like to confirm that there is no breach or violation by the Kotak Group in any manner whatsoever,” it added.

BharatPe’s co-founder and MD Ashneer Grover and wife Madhuri Grover had sent a legal notice to Kotak Mahindra Bank’s managing director and CEO Uday Kotak, and his senior management.

The bank has been accused of failing to secure financing and allocation of shares in an IPO launched by beauty  e-commerce firm Nykaa.

The notice was sent on October 30, 2021, but the matter gained attention again after a leaked audio call surfaced on social media carrying abuses allegedly being hurled at a Kotak Group employee by BharatPe CEO Ashneer Grover and his family member.

 The male voice hurls abuses and the other male voice is heard pacifying him. It was speculated if it is the Grover couple in the viral clip.

The viral audio was posted by an anonymous handle along with the tweet: “how rich founders treat poor bank employees”, IANS reported.

BharatPe CEO Ashneer Grover claimed that it was fake audio by some seamster trying to extort money from him in Bitcoins.

“Folks. Chill ! It's a FAKE audio by some scamster trying to extort funds (US$ 240K in bitcoins). I refused to buckle. I've got more character. And the Internet has got enough scamsters :) (sic),” Grover wrote in a tweet that was deleted later.

As for the legal notice, Moneycontrol reported that it was also addressed to Oisharya Das, CEO of Kotak Wealth Management, Shanti Ekambaram, Kotak Mahindra Bank’s Group President for Consumer Banking and KVS Manian heading Corporate, Institutional & Investment Banking.

The notice sought damages for the gains the BharatPe MD and his wife would have made after subscribing to shares worth Rs 500 crore in Nykaa along with Rs 1 lakh towards the cost of the legal notice.

Meanwhile, the statement by Kotak again raises questions over Grover’s claims of the audio clip being fake.

(With Agency Inputs)