The Supreme Court granted bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and wife Shwetambari in a Rs 30 crore fraud case linked to a biopic on Indira IVF founder Ajay Murdia’s late wife. Setting aside the Rajasthan HC order, the bench urged mediation for the commercial dispute, noting the couple’s jail time since December.
Film director Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, have been granted bail by the Supreme Court in the Rs, 30 crore fraud case linked to a dispute over a planned biopic on the late wife of Indira IVF founder, Ajay Murdia.
The couple had been taken into custody by Rajasthan Police in December after their arrest in Mumbai and were subsequently held at Jodhpur Central Jail. Notably, Shwetambari Bhatt had received interim relief from the apex court just a week earlier.
Supreme Court sets aside Rajasthan High Court order in Vikram Bhatt case
According to a report by Live Law.in, a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul Pancholi on Thursday set aside the Rajasthan High Court’s decision denying bail to Vikram Bhatt and Shwetambari Bhatt.
While granting them regular bail, the bench expressed hope that both sides would make sincere efforts to resolve the dispute through mediation. The judges noted that the matter primarily stemmed from a commercial transaction and directed the parties to appear before the Supreme Court Mediation Centre to explore an amicable settlement of the payment-related issue.
Vikram Bhatt Booked In ₹30 Crore Fraud Case!
“It seems to us that dispute essentially pertains to a commercial transaction, though the ingredients of committing offence of cheating etc have been expressly mentioned in the FIR.
Be that as it may, it may be appropriate for the parties to resolve the disputes through mediation. The regular bail has been granted with the expectation that the appellants will try and make efforts for the amicable resolution of the dispute,” the bench observed in the order.
Lawyers debate Vikram Bhatt’s bail plea
Appearing for Vikram and his wife, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave argued before the Supreme Court, while Senior Advocate Vikas Singh represented Ajay Murdia.
Singh told the court that he had no objection to the couple being granted bail so that mediation could be explored. He also informed the bench about another FIR lodged against Vikram in Mumbai in connection with a separate cheating allegation. “His company is in difficulty and he is asking money based on his past reputation, people are giving money, and he is using the money into his own company which is going into liquidation,” Singh stated.
Countering these claims, Dave said Bhatt had been utilizing the funds to complete his film projects. He further explained that the agreement covered four films: two were finished, the third was nearly 70% complete, and keeping Bhatt in custody would halt the films’ progress.
Cheating case filed against Vikram Bhatt by Ajay Murdia
The case began after Ajay Murdia claimed that Vikram Bhatt and his wife convinced him to invest over Rs 30 crore in a movie about his late wife, promising good profits that never happened.Disclaimer: This report is a journalistic account of a recent court development. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy based on available information, this is not a substitute for the official court order or legal advice.
