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The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the immediate release of filmmaker Vikram Bhatt’s wife Shwetambari Bhatt from Udaipur jail, granting her interim bail in connection with an alleged multi-crore fraud case registered in Rajasthan.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that Shwetambari be released forthwith on furnishing a bail bond to the satisfaction of the chief judicial magistrate concerned.
The court also issued notice to the state of Rajasthan and impleaded the complainant, Ajay Murdia, as a party to the proceedings. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on February 19.
“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.
During the hearing, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddhartha Dave, appearing for Shwetambari and Vikram Bhatt, argued that 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.
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“The whole family is sought to be roped in and jailed. How can you jail a director and his family like this?” Rohatgi submitted.
The bench questioned the nature of the criminal proceedings after the complainant’s counsel complained that the filmmaker and his wife owed money to his client. “So, you would use coercive and jail processes to recover dues? Why was the case filed in Rajasthan? This is very unfortunate,” the court remarked.
At one point, the bench observed that the petitioners had not sought quashing of the FIR. “We hope they have also sought quashing of the FIR,” it said.
Rohatgi contended that the dispute stemmed from a film project that failed commercially. “The complainant wanted movies to be made on himself. Both movies flopped. It is not my fault. Can’t put the director and his wife in jail,” he argued.
Counsel for the state government opposed the plea, while counsel for the complainant submitted that it was a case of cheating to the tune of ₹44 crore.
The relief from the apex court comes weeks after the Rajasthan High Court rejected the bail applications of Vikram Bhatt, Shwetambari Bhatt and co-accused Mehboob Ansari on January 31.
The Jodhpur bench had observed that the investigation was still underway and that custodial interrogation was required. The prosecution had alleged that the accused generated fake bills under different names and induced the complainant to transfer large sums, which were then deposited into personal accounts and allegedly misused.
According to the FIR registered on November 17 at Bhupalpura police station in Udaipur, the complaint was filed by Ajay Murdia, owner of Indira IVF and associated with Indira Entertainment LLP. He alleged that he was induced to invest over ₹30 crore in a proposed biopic of his late wife and later in four film projects collectively budgeted at ₹47 crore, with promises of high returns.
The complaint claims that while over ₹42 crore was transferred, only two films were produced and released. The third project was allegedly incomplete and the fourth had not commenced, with allegations that funds meant for production were diverted.
The high court had accepted the prosecution’s submission that releasing the accused at that stage could interfere with the probe, including allegations that witnesses were being pressured.
