Bombay HC bars Shilpa Shetty from travelling to Colombo, says pay 'Rs 60 crore first'
PTC Web Desk: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday denied actor Shilpa Shetty’s request to travel to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a YouTube event, directing her to first deposit Rs 60 crore linked to an alleged fraud case before any travel permissions could be considered.
The Bombay High Court observed that a Lookout Circular (LOC) issued by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Shilpa Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, remains active, preventing them from travelling abroad without prior consent from the court or the investigating agency.
During the hearing, Shilpa Shetty’s counsel informed the court that she had been invited to a YouTube creators’ event scheduled from October 25 to 29 in Colombo. However, when the court sought a copy of the invitation, the lawyer admitted that discussions with the organisers had only been verbal and that a formal invitation would be issued once travel approval was granted.
The Bench rejected the plea, remarking that the couple must first clear the Rs 60-crore fraud liability before the court could consider granting permission to travel overseas. The matter has now been listed for hearing on October 14, with the court’s remarks delivered orally.
This is the second time in recent weeks that the High Court has turned down a similar request. Earlier, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra were denied permission to travel to Phuket, Thailand, for a family vacation, as the court cited serious financial allegations pending against them and refused to stay the LOC issued by the Mumbai Police’s EOW.
The couple faces allegations from businessman Deepak Kothari, who accused them of persuading him to invest Rs 60 crore in their now-defunct company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, and later diverting the funds for personal use. Kundra has since appeared before the EOW for questioning.
The case involves Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, a celebrity-driven teleshopping platform co-founded by Shilpa Shetty, Kundra, and actor Akshay Kumar, and promoted as India’s first celebrity-endorsed shopping channel. The company later shut down amid financial and legal disputes.
- With inputs from agencies
