Embattled former FHRAI secretary general Major Harish Sud has returned to his ‘rightful place’ as SG at the association. Sud was unceremoniously sacked this year by the then president MP Purushothaman and his office bearer Dr. Sunil Gulati as a wave of court cases alleging embezzlement and wrong doing took over.
“I am immensely pleased to inform you that Harish Sud is back in his rightful place as the secretary general of FHRAI. In fact, let us say, he never left,” said the new president Rajindera Kumar soon after his unanimous election at the FHRAI AGM last Saturday.
“He has always stook by us during these unfortunate time and now we stand by him,” said Kumar.
Kumar took over the one year presidency through rotation as head of the HRANI.
Hotelierindia.com reported on September 18 this year that Major Sud would return to his post.
Sud, whose reappointment is with immediate effect, always protested his innocence and his wrongful and forceful termination which even included his office being sealed and guards posted at the door to prevent him entering.
This split the association down the middle on the bone of contention that Purushothaman and company misappropriated over Rs40 lakh of association funds in the mismanagement of the FHRAI institute and other FHRAI activities.
A compromise was finally reached, through a series of meetings between the two factions, some under court supervision, that all allegations be dropped and Purushothaman step down this month at the end of his term. However, while the former president is still part of the SHIRA, Dr. Gulati has been evicted from the HRANI to which he was affiliated.
Meanwhile, the new president has put in a high-powered executive committee to bring the FHRAI back on track. Vivek Nair, vice-chairman and managing director at Leela Hotels takes over as honorary secretary, accompanied by other FHRAI stalwarts K Syama Raju from the SIHRA as joint honorary secretary and HRAEI’s Ratan Marothia as honorary treasurer. Nair is also an ex-FHRAI president.
