New Delhi, 15 Dec 

The Supreme Court on Monday protected actors Shreyas Talpade and Alok Nath from arrest till the conclusion of the investigation in a case involving allegations of cheating and criminal breach of trust against a cooperative society.

A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan was hearing pleas filed by the two actors seeking clubbing of FIRs registered in different states in connection with the case. While disposing of Talpade’s writ petition, the bench ordered continuation of the interim protection granted earlier.

"We dispose of this writ petition (filed by Talpade) by continuing the interim order of protection from arrest granted by us until the investigation into the offences against the petitioner is complete," the bench said.

During the hearing, Talpade’s counsel argued that the actor had no role in the alleged offence and had merely attended an event in a limited capacity. "I am not supposed to know. I never earned any money," the lawyer told the court, maintaining that Talpade was only a guest celebrity at the company’s annual function.

Appearing for Alok Nath, his counsel submitted that the actor had not attended any such function and that his photograph was allegedly misused. Nath’s lawyer argued that the actor’s image had been used for nearly a decade without his direct involvement.

The court also posed a broader question during the hearing, asking whether criminal liability would automatically extend to celebrities endorsing or associating with companies that later face legal trouble.

Thirteen people, including the two actors, were booked following a complaint by 37-year-old Sonipat resident Vipul Antil. The complainant alleged that Talpade and Nath "promoted the Human Welfare Credit Cooperative Society Ltd, as brand ambassadors".

Police officials said, "It has been alleged that they were its brand ambassadors and victims get lured to invest because of such personalities. They were named in the complaint. An FIR has been registered. Now, it will be investigated what was their role."

The FIR was registered on January 22 under Sections 316(2), 318(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for offences including cheating and criminal breach of trust. Authorities alleged that the society committed a "serious crime of cheating the public through financial schemes".