Bollywood Couple Faces Legal Battle Over Rs 60 Crore Financial Dispute
The Bombay High Court is set to hear a significant plea filed by Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra on Monday, November 10, 2025. The high-profile couple is seeking to quash a First Information Report (FIR) registered against them by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Maharashtra Police in a Rs 60 crore cheating case.
The Background of the Financial Dispute
According to court documents, the case originated from a complaint filed by Deepak Kothari, the director of Lotus Capital Financial Services Ltd, a non-banking financial company (NBFC). Kothari alleged that Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra approached him through an agent named Rajesh Arya seeking a substantial business loan.
The FIR details that a crucial meeting was arranged in 2015 at a five-star hotel in Juhu, where all parties including Kundra, Shetty, Arya and Kothari were present. During this meeting, the couple reportedly presented themselves as directors of Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, a home shopping and online retail platform that has since become defunct.
Allegations of Financial Misrepresentation
Kothari's complaint makes serious allegations about the nature of the financial transaction. He claims that while the couple initially sought a business loan, they later persuaded him to route the amounts as an "investment" rather than a loan to avoid higher taxation. The NBFC director was allegedly assured of monthly returns and eventual repayment of the principal amount.
Between 2015 and 2023, Kothari claims to have transferred approximately Rs 60.4 crore to Best Deal TV's HDFC Bank accounts for what was described as business expansion purposes. The substantial amount and the extended timeline of transactions form the core of the cheating allegations against the celebrity couple.
Recent Legal Developments and Court Proceedings
The plea filed by Shetty and Kundra last month is scheduled for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad. This hearing represents a crucial moment in the ongoing legal battle that has seen several significant developments.
In a related development last month, Shilpa Shetty withdrew her interim application seeking permission to travel abroad in October. This application was part of a separate plea challenging the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against the couple in connection with the case.
However, the actor has indicated her intention to file a new plea seeking court permission for international travel in December. This decision came after the high court posed a challenging question to Shetty's legal team, asking why she couldn't become an approver in the Rs 60 crore cheating case.
The court's query was prompted by Shetty's lawyer's argument that there were no specific allegations against the actor and no direct connection established between her and the alleged crime or Kundra's company in question.
In earlier proceedings, the Bombay High Court had orally suggested that the couple consider depositing the disputed Rs 60 crore amount before pursuing their plea to travel to the United States and other countries. This indication from the court underscores the seriousness with which the financial allegations are being treated.
The case continues to develop as legal experts watch closely how the Bombay High Court handles this high-stakes financial dispute involving prominent Bollywood personalities. The outcome of Monday's hearing could significantly influence the future trajectory of this complex legal battle.
