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External Review Clears HDFC Bank of Ex‑Chairman’s Governance Claims

The firms found no documentary or witness support for Atanu Chakraborty’s ethics allegations, leaving board appointments and top management decisions under fresh scrutiny.

Overview

  • HDFC Bank hired US firm Wilson Sonsini and Indian firm Wadia Ghandy to conduct a multi‑month external legal review after Atanu Chakraborty resigned in March.
  • The review examined thousands of documents and interviews with independent directors and senior managers and concluded it found no evidence to substantiate Chakraborty’s public claims.
  • The investigators reported that Chakraborty did not take part in an interview despite repeated requests from the bank and the law firms, a point Chakraborty disputes.
  • The probe specifically reviewed allegations about mis‑selling of Credit Suisse AT‑1 bonds at the bank’s Dubai and Bahrain branches and found no contemporaneous record that Chakraborty had raised ethics objections.
  • With the legal review closed, attention is shifting to HDFC Bank’s board governance and decisions on appointing a permanent part‑time chairman and the future of MD & CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan.