HC asks Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra to pay ₹60 cr before travelling abroad

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said that it would only consider Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra's plea seeking permission to travel abroad, only if they pay ₹60 crore, the amount mentioned in an alleged cheating case against them.

 

A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad observed that it cannot permit leisure trips when the duo is accused of a cheating and fraud case, news agency PTI reported.

 

Following this, the celebrity couple's counsel informed the court that only their trip to Phuket was a leisure trip; the others were all for professional work, adding that the couple had been cooperating with the probing agencies and also appeared for questioning.

 

 

The high court told their counsel that it is only because of their cooperation that the couple has not been arrested. It also sought a copy of the invitation or any other form of communication for events that Shetty had to attend. According to an NDTV report, her counsel informed the court that the communication was over the phone and would only receive a formal invitation once the travel permission was granted.

 

The court said, "Deposit the entire amount of Rs 60 crore, then we will consider the plea." The matter has now been posted for further hearing on October 14.

 

The high court also noted that a look-out circular alert, issued by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police, continues to be in place, because of which the celebrity couple cannot travel abroad without permission from the court or the investigating agency.

 

A look-out circular is an alert issued by the immigration authorities to restrict the movement of an individual, stopping them from leaving the country.

 

Background of the case

 

Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra landed in trouble after the duo was named in a criminal complaint, lodged by businessman Deepak Kothari, alleging that he gave ₹60.48 crore to the celebrity couple. According to the complaint filed by Kothari, he paid them the amount between 2015 and 2023 for the business expansion of their now-defunct company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd,  but they spent it on personal expenses.

 

Last week, the court denied them permission to fly abroad for their vacation, citing serious pending cases against them. The decision came after the couple moved the high court, seeking a suspension of the look-out-circular issued by the EOW.

 

Shetty was questioned by the investigating agency on October 4 at her residence and denied any involvement in the affairs of the company.  "Shetty said that she was not looking into the affairs of the company. She was paid celebrity fees for appearing on the platform (Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd)," PTI reported.