26/11 attack not our fault, disappointed with UK court: Taj Hotels' owner

A 33-year-old British man paralysed during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks on Thursday won his claim to sue the Tata Group, the owners of the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, in a British court. The Indian Hotels Company Limited, a Tata Group firm, had argued that Will Pike’s negligence claim should be heard in India but a High Court judge in UK accepted that taking his case through the Indian courts could run into years of delay. Here is the full statement from The Indian Hotels Company Limited, owner of Taj Hotels: The Indian Hotels Company Limited, the owner of The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai is disappointed that the English High Court has accepted jurisdiction to hear a claim for compensation by Mr Pike and Ms Doyle, two guests of the hotel when the hotel, as also multiple other locations across the city of Mumbai, were attacked by terrorists on 26th November 2008. [caption id=“attachment_1297275” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  AFP[/caption] The acceptance of jurisdiction by the English court was made without any detailed consideration of the merits of the claim; it was a purely procedural decision. This great Indian tragedy in which many staff and guests were killed or injured was not the fault of the hotel owners and management and the claim will continue to be vigorously defended. Many of our brave staff will give evidence at the trial. We do not consider it appropriate to make any further comment at this time. Taj Public Trust Fund information In response to the outpouring of emotional support from well-wishers in India and across the globe, The Taj Public Service Welfare Trust Fund was set up to offer relief for those affected by the attack and to provide immediate assistance to all victims and their families - be it the general public, the security forces, employees of the Taj or employees of other establishments. Mr. William Pike has already been the beneficiary from this Trust. This Trust fund has been further extended to cover relief to victims of sudden acts of violence, natural disasters and other tragic events that inflict damage to life and property.