Bombay HC directs Shilpa and Raj to deposit Rs 60 crore to lift Lookout Circular
The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband, Raj Kundra, to deposit a sum of Rs 60 crore or furnish a continuous bank guarantee from a nationalised bank if they wish to have the Lookout Circular (LOC) against them lifted.
The couple, who are in court over a cheating case lodged by the Mumbai police’s economic offences wing, sought suspension of the LOC to travel to London to visit Kundra’s ailing father. As per a report on News18, the plea stated that he has been diagnosed with a chronic and unexplained iron-ammonia deficiency, resulting in severe complications, blood loss, and worsening breathlessness. He has reportedly been advised to undergo a repeat capsule endoscopy or double-balloon enteroscopy.
The couple sought permission to travel before January 20, 2026, citing medical urgency, and further alleging that Kundra’s father has been experiencing breathlessness and that his condition is deteriorating.
Shilpa and Raj Kundra lawyer calls ₹60 crore fraud case ‘purely civil,’ denies criminal intent
As per the report, Senior Advocate Abad Ponda, representing Shetty and Kundra, argued against depositing the full amount and suggested offering surety or a reasonable alternative. He stressed that the trip was necessary solely for medical reasons.
However, the bench reportedly declined the request and maintained that the full amount was mandatory if the LOC was to be lifted.
Raj and Shilpa seek to quash case
Last month, the couple sought to quash the Rs 60-crore cheating case and also urged the court to direct the police not to file a chargesheet and not to take any coercive action against before the hearing.
The complainant, Deepak Kothari, lodged the complaint against the couple, alleging that from 2015 to 2023, they induced him to invest Rs 60 crore in their company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, but the amount was used for their own personal benefits.
The couple in their pleas claimed the FIR was lodged based on a false and distorted set of facts, and it has been “maliciously filed with an ulterior and malafide motive to extort money”. At the time, they insisted that the losses suffered were merely business losses and not due to any fraudulent design or criminal conspiracy.
Shilpa and Raj denied permission to travel for leisure
Shilpa Shetty, had earlier approached the Bombay High Court in October, seeking permission to travel abroad for leisure and work commitments but later withdrew her petition after dropping plans to visit Los Angeles.
Her advocates informed Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad that her proposed trip to attend an event with US influencer Mr Beast had been cancelled.
Last month, Shilpa and Raj had moved the High Court seeking suspension of the LOC, citing the need to travel overseas for professional engagements as well as leisure. However, the court had clarified that it could not permit leisure travel while the duo remained accused in the cheating and fraud case.
News Edit KV Raman
