MUMBAI: In a significant legal development, the Bombay High Court has refused to grant interim relief to actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband, businessman Raj Kundra, denying their plea to suspend the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against them. This judicial decision has effectively halted the couple’s immediate overseas travel plans, including a planned family trip to Phuket, Thailand.
The couple is currently embroiled in a serious Rs. 60 crore cheating case being investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police. The court, comprising a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad, declined the request, stating that the matter would be heard again after the state government files its reply.
Shetty and Kundra had approached the court seeking temporary suspension of the LOC, arguing that they had cooperated with previous investigations and had always returned to India after multiple overseas trips. Their plea highlighted both personal and professional international commitments, including the Phuket holiday and future work-related travel to locations like Los Angeles, Colombo, and Dubai.
The Look Out Circular stems from a complaint filed by businessman Deepak Kothari, who alleged that he was induced by the couple to invest over \text{Rs. } 60 crore in their now-defunct home shopping and online retail platform, Best Deal TV Pvt. Ltd. The complaint claims the funds, provided as a loan/investment between 2015 and 2023, were allegedly diverted and misused by the couple for personal benefit, prompting the EOW to register the cheating case.
The refusal to grant permission underscores the seriousness of the economic offense allegations and signals the court’s cautious approach to allowing key individuals under investigation to leave the country. The couple continues to cooperate with the EOW probe, with Shilpa Shetty recently being questioned by the agency for several hours.
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