Mumbai: The Bombay high court has held as “fraudulent” an alleged deal signed by Thane corporator Ravindra Phatak, as “director” of an iron ore mining company in Sindhudurg, to hand over all of its mining rights to a contractor from Sawantwadi.

In a judgment passed on Wednesday by Justice R D Dhanuka, the HC also slammed a lower court for passing what it said was a “perverse” order in favour of the contractor, based on prima facie fraudulent memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Phatak, who currently is the standing panel chief in the Thane civic body.