'Deposit ₹60 Crore, Will Then Consider Plea For Permission To Go Abroad': Bombay HC To Shilpa Shetty & Raj Kundra

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed businessman Raj Kundra and actor Shilpa Shetty to first deposit Rs 60 crore, the amount allegedly involved in a cheating case against them, before it considers their plea seeking permission to travel abroad.

Hearing of Petition Against Look Out Circular

A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad was hearing the couple’s petition challenging the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

The LOC was issued at the request of the EOW in connection with a cheating case filed by businessman Deepak Kothari, who alleged that between 2015 and 2023, the couple induced him to invest Rs60 crore in their company Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, but misused the funds for personal purposes.

Court’s Observation on Leisure Travel

During the hearing, the court made it clear that it would not permit leisure travel for persons under investigation. “A person who is under investigation — we cannot permit him to travel,” the bench observed. When the couple’s advocate submitted that only one trip to Phuket was for leisure and the others were work-related, the court retorted, “That is why they are not arrested. We cannot permit leisure trips.”

Verification of Professional Engagements

The bench further directed their lawyer to produce invitations or other supporting documents for the professional events Shetty was required to attend abroad. It then said the plea would be taken up only after the full amount of Rs60 crore is deposited. “Deposit the entire amount, then we will consider the plea,” the court stated, posting the matter for further hearing on October 14.

Details of the Couple’s Petition

In their petition, Kundra and Shetty said they were cooperating with the probe, and that Kundra had already appeared before the EOW for questioning. Shetty’s statement was recorded at her residence on October 4, during which she was questioned for over four hours. She reportedly told investigators that she did not handle the company’s affairs and had resigned from Best Deal TV in September 2016.

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Request for Suspension of LOC

The couple has sought suspension of the LOC from October 2025 to January 2026 to facilitate travel for professional engagements and limited leisure trips abroad.

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