The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt’s wife Shwetambari Bhatt from Udaipur jail in a multi-crore fraud case registered in Rajasthan.
The next hearing is scheduled on February 19. (ht file image)A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Jayamalya Bagchi ordered that Shwetambari be released on bail immediately.
The court also issued notice to the state of Rajasthan and impleaded the complainant, Ajay Murdia, as a party to the suit. The next hearing is scheduled on February 19.
“As an interim measure, it is directed that Shwetambari Bhatt, wife of Vikram Bhatt, currently lodged in Udaipur Jail, be released forthwith,” the bench said.
During the hearing, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Dav, appearing for Shwetambari and Vikram Bhatt, argued that the Rajasthan Police had traveled to Mumbai and arrested the couple from their residence. They at least pressed Shwetambari for interim bail at this stage.
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“The entire family is being roped into jail. How can a director and his family be jailed like this?” Submitted by Rohatgi.
The bench questioned the nature of the criminal proceedings after the complainant’s counsel alleged that the filmmaker and his wife owed money to his client. “So, you will use the process of coercion and jail to recover the dues? Why was the case filed in Rajasthan? It is very unfortunate,” the court observed.
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At one point, the bench observed that the petitioners did not demand quashing of the FIR. “We hope they also seek quashing of the FIR,” it said.
Rohatgi claimed that the controversy stemmed from a film project that was a commercial failure. “The complainant wanted to make a movie on himself. Both the movies flopped. It’s not my fault. Can’t jail the director and his wife,” he argued.
Counsel for the state government opposed the plea, while counsel for the complainant submitted that it was a case of fraud. ₹44 crores.
The relief from the apex court comes weeks after the Rajasthan High Court on January 31 rejected the bail pleas of Vikram Bhatt, Shwetambari Bhatt and co-accused Mehbub Ansari.
The Jodhpur bench observed that the investigation was still on and required custodial interrogation. The prosecution alleged that the accused created fake bills in different names and induced the complainant to transfer large sums, which were later credited to personal accounts and misused.
According to the FIR registered on November 17 at the Bhupalpura police station in Udaipur, the complaint was filed by Ajay Murdia, owner of Indira IVF and associated with Indira Entertainment LLP. He alleged that he was induced to invest ₹A proposed biopic of his late wife and later four film projects with a combined budget of 30 crores ₹47 crores with promise of high returns.
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complaint When the claim ends ₹42 crores transferred, only two films were produced and released. The third project was allegedly incomplete and the fourth was not started, allegedly because the money was earmarked for production.
The high court accepted the prosecution’s submission that releasing the accused at that stage could interfere with the investigation, including allegations that witnesses were being pressured.
