As per Punjab Kesari news report, A dispute involving the online fitness and rehabilitation platform Granimals Absolute Fitness Private Limited has now taken a serious legal turn. The Haryana State Crime Branch, Panchkula, which was investigating a complaint related to the startup valued at several crores of rupees, has completed its investigation and submitted its report to the court. During the investigation, allegations of fund diversion, criminal breach of trust, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy against certain company officials and other individuals were examined.
Advocate Vinayak Bansal stated in a press release issued on Monday that the company’s co-founder, Rochan Kakar, filed a complaint on June 14, 2025, alleging that he had co-founded Granimals in 2021 along with Ameen Goyal and Sidharth Uniyal, with all three holding equal ownership stakes in the company. According to the complaint, the company’s turnover for the financial year 2024–25 was approximately ₹9.47 crore.
The complaint further states that after disagreements arose among the founders in 2025, Rochan Kakar was pressured to sell his shares. It is alleged that when he refused, his access to the company’s email accounts, internal systems, and other business communication channels was terminated.
The complainant also alleged that a new company, Healpain Recovery Care Private Limited, was established as part of a plan to transfer Granimals’ customers, employees, and confidential business data to the new entity. Additionally, allegations were made that company funds were diverted through fake invoices and third-party accounts.
The matter was initially referred to the Cyber Crime Cell. However, since the dispute was already pending before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and was considered to be of a civil nature, no detailed investigation was conducted at that stage. Subsequently, the complainant pursued other legal remedies, and the case was ultimately assigned to the Haryana State Crime Branch for investigation.
During the investigation, statements were recorded from the complainant, Rochan Kakar, as well as the company’s former HR Manager and Finance Head, Nidhi Sharma. The investigating agency also examined WhatsApp chats, company emails, presentations (PPTs), worksheets, and other electronic records.
Legal opinion finds a prima facie case
Based on the investigation, the legal opinion concluded that there is prima facie evidence of offences under Sections 316(2), 351(2), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to criminal breach of trust, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy. The opinion further states that the mere fact that a matter is pending before the NCLT does not automatically prevent a criminal investigation if the available facts indicate the commission of independent criminal offences.
The investigation reportedly includes the names of co-founder Sidharth Uniyal, Ameen Goyal, Jaipal Sharma, Krishna Verma, Sanjeev Kumar Garg, Tanveesh Inani, Karan Sharma, Vikas Panwar, and Harshit Dwivedi. However, the matter is currently sub judice (pending before the court). The truthfulness of the allegations and the ultimate determination of guilt or innocence of any individual will be decided only by the competent court.
