The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it would consider actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra’s plea seeking permission to travel abroad only after they deposit ₹60 crore — the amount involved in the cheating case registered against them.
A case was lodged against the couple at Mumbai’s Juhu police station on August 14, following a complaint by businessman Deepak Kothari, who alleged that Shetty and Kundra duped him of ₹60 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal. Kothari claimed that between 2015 and 2023, the couple persuaded him to invest in their company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, but diverted the funds for personal use.
The couple approached the High Court last month seeking suspension of the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against them by Mumbai Police so that they could undertake international travel for professional commitments and leisure.
A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, however, observed that the court could not permit leisure trips when both are accused in a serious cheating case. Their counsel argued that only one trip to Phuket was for leisure, while others were for professional reasons. The lawyer added that both have fully cooperated with the investigation and appeared before authorities when summoned.
The bench acknowledged their cooperation as the reason for their non-arrest but insisted that the plea would only be considered once the entire ₹60 crore is deposited. “Deposit the full amount of ₹60 crore, then we will consider the plea,” the court said, posting the matter for further hearing on October 14.
The couple’s petition seeks suspension of the LOC between October 2025 and January 2026.
Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police recently recorded Shilpa Shetty’s statement at her residence on October 4 during a four-hour interrogation. She reportedly told investigators that she was not involved in the day-to-day operations of Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, which she co-founded with Kundra.
The EOW had earlier questioned Kundra and issued the LOC against both as part of its probe into the ₹60 crore cheating case.
