SC Grants Interim Bail To Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, Wife Shwetambari In Rs 30 Crore Fraud Case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Bollywood filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt in a Rs 30 crore fraud case.

What did the Top Court say?

During the hearing, a bench comprising of  Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed their forthwith release from Udaipur jail.

The court further asked the Chief Judicial Magistrate to pass the bail order delineating the terms and conditions.

"As an interim measure, it is directed that the Shwetambari Bhatt, wife of Vikram Bhatt, presently lodged in Udaipur jail, be released forthwith,” the bench said.

The Supreme Court has also issued notices to complainant Ajay Murdia, the founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre and a resident of Udaipur, and the Rajasthan government for February 19.

Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddhartha Dave, appearing for Shwetambari and Vikram Bhatt, during the hearing said that the Rajasthan police had travelled to Mumbai and arrested the couple from their residence. They pressed for interim bail at least for Shwetambari at this stage.

What happened in High Court?

The development comes after the Rajasthan High Court on January 31 turned down the couple's bail plea in the fraud case.

The film director was booked by the Rajasthan Police in a multi-crore cheating case. Along with him, Bhatt’s wife was also involved in the matter. 

The couple was arrested from their Mumbai residence on December 7 last year.

They were brought to Rajasthan after a complaint was filed against them by a Udaipur-based doctor, alleging that he had been defrauded of crores by the director on the pretext of making a film.