Bombay HC Tells Shilpa Shetty, Kundra to Deposit Rs 60 Cr for Travel Plea

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it would consider the plea filed by actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband to travel abroad only if they deposit Rs 60 crore, the amount involved in a cheating case against them. 

A case was registered against Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, at Juhu police station in Mumbai on August 14 for allegedly duping businessman Deepak Kothari (60) of nearly Rs 60 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal.

The couple last month filed a petition in HC seeking suspension of the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against them by police in the case, so that they can travel for their professional commitments and leisure trips abroad. 

The complaint was lodged against the couple by Kothari, alleging that between 2015 to 2023, they had induced him to invest Rs 60 crore in their company Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, but the amount was used for their own personal



benefits.

A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad on Wednesday said it cannot permit leisure trips when the duo is accused in the cheating and fraud case. 

The couple's lawyer told the court that only one trip to Phuket was leisure, but the rest of the trips were all for professional work. The lawyer added that the couple has cooperated with the probe and has also appeared for questioning.

The high court then said that because of their cooperation, they have not been arrested. The bench also sought a copy of the invitation or any other form of communication for the professional events that Shetty had to attend. 

The HC then said it would consider the petition only after the entire amount of Rs 60 crore is deposited. "Deposit the entire amount of Rs 60 crore, then we will consider the plea," the bench said, posting the matter for further hearing on October 14.