Actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra have approached the Bombay High Court with petitions seeking to quash a Rs 60-crore cheating case registered against them by the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police.
In addition to quashing the FIR, the couple has requested the court to restrain the police from filing a chargesheet in the matter and from taking any coercive steps against them until their petitions are finally heard and decided. The petitions were listed for hearing on Monday before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekar and Justice Gautam Ankhad.
After hearing preliminary submissions, the bench directed the petitioners to serve a copy of their pleas to the original complainant, Deepak Kothari, and adjourned the matter to November 20 for further hearing.
Deepak Kothari had filed the complaint alleging that between 2015 and 2023, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra induced him to invest Rs 60 crore in their company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, promising lucrative returns. However, the invested amount was allegedly diverted for their personal benefits instead of being utilised for the company’s operations.
In their quashing petitions, the couple has contended that the FIR is based on a “false and distorted set of facts” and has been “maliciously filed with an ulterior and malafide motive to extort money”.
Also Read: Bombay HC to Shilpa Shetty, Kundra: Deposit ₹60 cr to leave India
Shilpa Shetty, in her separate plea, has stated that she was never involved in the day-to-day affairs of Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd and was associated with the company only for a very limited period. The couple has maintained that the dispute is purely civil and contractual in nature, stemming from a failed business venture and consequent investment losses.
“The collapse of the company was due to unforeseen economic circumstances, particularly demonetisation in November 2016, which severely impacted cash-based business,” the petitions submitted.
They further argued that the losses incurred were ordinary business losses and not the result of any fraudulent design or criminal conspiracy on their part.
Also Read: Cops find proof of fund diversion by Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra
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