Godfrey Phillips: Bina Modi, Lalit Bhasin not charged in Samir Modi assault case

Godfrey Phillips India’s chairperson Bina Modi and former director Lalit Bhasin have not been charged in a case accusing them of conspiracy to assault the company’s former director Samir Modi at a board meeting last year, according to people familiar with the matter.

They remain suspects in the case but were not charged due to lack of evidence, Delhi Police officials said on condition of anonymity.

The police have only charge-sheeted Bina Modi’s personal security officer (PSO), Surendra Prasad, who was a co-accused in the matter, they said.


Samir Modi, a former Godfrey Phillips director and current promoter, is Bina Modi’s son. His lawyer, Simran Singh, claimed Bina Modi had not been exonerated. However, the police officials cited earlier said the investigation had been completed.

“The police has not exonerated Bina Modi and therefore places her in column 12 of the charge sheet,” said Singh. “There is sufficient evidence on record against Mrs Bina Modi for intentionally aiding and abetting her PSO in wrongful restrain and also common intention with him to not only restrain Samir Modi from entering the meeting room but also voluntarily causing assault and grievous hurt to Samir Modi in that process. We will file a protest petition and will request the court to take cognizance against Mrs Bina Modi also, for offences under sections 341/325/34 of the IPC.”

The final charge sheet was prepared by Delhi Police after an investigation that lasted for almost a year. A first information report was filed at Delhi’s Sarita Vihar police station last year by Samir Modi alleging he was assaulted by Bina Modi’s personal security officer at Godfrey Phillips India’s board meeting on May 31, 2024.

Samir Modi, who was formerly an executive director with Godfrey Phillips India, was sacked from the company’s board on August 7. He has been locked in a family dispute where he has accused his mother of not making good on the distribution of the family inheritance the terms of which were laid out in a trust deed by the family patriarch, the late KK Modi.