Vikram Bhatt, Wife to Remain in Jail as Rajasthan HC Rejects Bail in ₹30 Crore Fraud Case
Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt will continue to remain in custody after the Rajasthan High Court on Saturday rejected their bail pleas in a ₹30 crore cheating and criminal breach of trust case, delivering a major blow to the couple amid an ongoing investigation.
The court observed that releasing the Bhatts at this stage would be premature. Justice Vinod Kumar Bharwani noted the prosecution’s argument that custodial interrogation was still necessary and bail could hamper the investigation. The Special Public Prosecutor also raised concerns that the accused might influence witnesses if freed.
The case originates from a complaint by Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF, who alleged that Bhatt, his wife, and associates diverted ₹30 crore meant for film production into personal accounts using fabricated bills. Alongside the couple, Dinesh Kataria and Bhatt’s manager Mehboob Ansari were arrested by Rajasthan Police on December 7 from Mumbai and remain in judicial custody.
Bhatt’s legal team denies the charges. Lawyer Kamlesh Dave stated, “All payments were made with mutual consent. There were no bogus bills. The agreement was to produce two films initially and two more on rolling finance.” The defence also claimed police acted without adequate documentary verification.
Earlier, the High Court had refused to quash the FIR, noting that the allegations extended beyond a civil dispute to serious claims of fund misappropriation.
Comments are closed.