HC Tells Shilpa Shetty, Kundra to Deposit ₹60 Cr for Travel Plea
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it will consider actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband’s request to travel abroad only if they deposit Rs 60 crore, which is part of a cheating case filed against them.
A case was registered against Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra at Juhu police station in Mumbai on August 14 for allegedly cheating businessman Deepak Kothari (60) of around Rs 60 million in a loan-investment deal.
The couple last month filed a petition in the HC seeking suspension of the Notice Circular (LOC) issued against them by the police in the case so that they can travel for their professional commitments and holiday trips abroad.
The complaint was filed by Kothari against the couple, alleging that they encouraged him to invest Rs 60 million in their company Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd between 2015 and 2023, but the amount was used for their personal benefit.
A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad on Wednesday said the duo cannot allow holiday trips if they are accused in the cheating and fraud case.
The couple’s lawyer told the court that only one trip to Phuket was for leisure, while the remaining trips were all for professional business. The lawyer added that the couple was cooperating with the investigation and was present for questioning.
The high court later said they were not arrested because of their collaboration.
The board also sought a copy of the invitation or any other form of communication regarding professional events in which Shetty was required to attend.
The HC then said that it would consider the petition only after the entire Rs 60 crore is deposited.
The court posted the matter for the hearing to be held on October 14 and said, “Deposit the entire amount of 60 million rupees, then we will consider the defense.”
The couple’s petition requested that the LOC be suspended from October 2025 to January 2026.
Shetty told the Mumbai police that she did not look into the affairs of the company she set up with her businessman husband Raj Kundra during interrogation in the Rs 60-crore cheating case, an official said on Tuesday.
A team from the police’s Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) recorded the actor’s statement at his residence on October 4 and questioned him for over four hours, the official said.
Shetty and her husband were directors of Best Deal TV Private Limited, a home shopping and online retail platform.
EOW had earlier recorded Kundra’s statement as part of the investigation into the case and issued LOC against the actor and her husband.
