The hostile takeover story of Golden Tobacco, the maker of cigarette brands such as 'Panama' and 'Chancellor', has taken a new turn. Acquirers Pranidhi Holdings and Pramod Jain, who announced their bid two years ago, have recently written to capital market regulator Sebi, seeking its permission to withdraw the unsolicited open offer. Jain, a minority shareholder with a 6% stake in Sanjay Dalmia-controlled Golden Tobacco, has alleged that a substantial value of the company has eroded with the promoters resorting to a poison pill strategy after the offer was announced.
Delhi-based Jain and Pranidhi (in which Jain is a director) made an open offer to acquire 25% in Golden Tobacco in November 2009 at Rs 101 per share. But the regulator is yet to approve the open offer; the Sebi website describes the status of the open offer application as 'under process'. Jain's recent move is possibly driven by a suspicion that the Golden Tobacco management may attempt to sell the company's land assets, particularly a prime plot of land in Mumbai's western suburb. Such suspicions owe their origin to Golden Tobacco's attempts to enter into agreements with developers like HDIL and subsequently with Sheth Developers and Suraksha Realty for joint development or sale of plots of land owned by the company in Mumbai.
Company Name | CMP |
---|---|
ITC | 457.15 |
Godfrey Phillips | 5848.55 |
VST Industries | 313.80 |
The Indian Wood Pro. | 34.50 |
Golden Tobacco | 38.70 |
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