Mumbai, 8 Oct

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it would consider the plea filed by actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband to travel abroad only if they deposit Rs 60 crore, the amount involved in a cheating case against them.

A case was registered against Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, at Juhu police station in Mumbai on 14 August for allegedly duping businessman Deepak Kothari, 60, of nearly Rs 60 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal.

The couple last month filed a petition in HC seeking suspension of the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against them by the police in the case, so that they can travel for their professional commitments and leisure trips abroad.

The complaint was lodged against the couple by Kothari, alleging that between 2015 to 2023, they had 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.

A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad on Wednesday said it cannot permit leisure trips when the duo is accused in the cheating and fraud case.

The couple's lawyer told the court that only one trip to Phuket was leisure, but the rest of the trips were all for professional work. The lawyer added that the couple has cooperated with the probe and has also appeared for questioning.

The high court then said that because of their cooperation, they have not been arrested.

The bench also sought a copy of the invitation or any other form of communication for the professional events that Shetty had to attend.

The HC then said it would consider the petition only after the entire amount of Rs 60 crore is deposited.

"Deposit the entire amount of Rs 60 crore, then we will consider the plea," the bench said, posting the matter for further hearing on 14 October.

The couple's petition has sought suspension of the LOC from October 2025 to January 2026.

Shetty has told the Mumbai police that she did not look into the affairs of the company she co-founded with her businessman husband Raj Kundra, during her questioning in connection with the Rs 60 crore cheating case, an official said on Tuesday.

A team from the police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) recorded the actor's statement at her residence on 4 October and questioned her for more than four hours, the official said.

Shetty and her husband were directors of Best Deal TV Private Limited, a home shopping and online retail platform.

The EOW had earlier recorded Kundra's statement as part of its probe into the case and issued the LOC against the actor and her husband.