Punjab Kings (PBKS) IPL franchise co-owner and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta has approached the Chandigarh district court seeking to declare as illegal and invalid the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited – which owns the PBKS team – held on April 21, 2025.
Zinta, who is one of the directors of KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited and holds a 23 per cent stake in the company, filed a civil suit alleging that the EGM was convened and conducted in violation of the Companies Act, 2013, and secretarial standards. The court has issued notices to the respondents—KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited and co-directors Mohit Burman and Ness Wadia. The matter is scheduled for hearing on May 27, where arguments on an interim injunction will be presented.
Represented by advocate Sangram Singh Saron, Zinta claims that the EGM was conducted unlawfully by Burman, with the support of Wadia, despite her objections raised via email on April 10. She alleges that the meeting was held without adhering to proper procedures, especially regarding the election of the chairperson.
According to Zinta’s petition, when the meeting commenced, she and fellow director Karan Paul objected to the appointment of Ness Wadia as chairperson, citing Principle 5.1 of Secretarial Standards, which requires directors to elect a chairperson among themselves if none is pre-designated. Zinta and Paul suggested appointing either of them, leading to a split vote among the four attending directors.
Despite the deadlock, Burman and Wadia proceeded with the meeting and allegedly appointed Muneesh Khanna as an additional non-executive director, which Zinta claims is a breach of the company’s Articles of Association as well as corporate governance norms.
Zinta has urged the court to prevent the company and the other directors from acting on any resolutions passed during the contested EGM. She also seeks an injunction restraining Khanna from acting as a director and wants a halt on any further board or general meetings without the participation of both her and Paul until the civil suit is pending before the Chandigarh court.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
