Mobile telecommunication service provider Aircel on Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that about 20 lakh of its customers had already migrated to other mobile phone service providers. The submission was made during the hearing of a writ petition filed by the firm seeking police protection for its offices in the State.
Justice M.S. Ramesh was told that all operations of the company would be wound up as soon as orders were passed on an insolvency application filed by it before the National Company Law Tribunal in Mumbai. When the judge wanted to know the tentative timeframe within which the orders could be passed, the company’s lawyer said it might take around 30 to 45 days.
After the hearing, the judge adjourned further hearing on the writ petition to next month since he had already passed an interim order in the case after the Director General of Police informed the court of having provided sufficient security to the company’s offices across the State.
In his affidavit, Aircel’s authorised representative B. Balaji had said that the lives of its employees and key management executives were in danger due to the threat posed by violent mobs of disgruntled vendors and customers.
He claimed that about 300 people barged into the office of the company at Poonamallee High Road here on February 22 and abused the employees. He had also alleged that the police failed to provide protection to the company’s offices.
