Relief for Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone? Rajasthan HC stays cheating case probe against Bollywood stars

The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday temporarily halted a probe against Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in connection with a cheating case linked to the sale of an allegedly defective Hyundai car, a Bar and Bench report said.

Justice Sudesh Bansal also extended the stay to include Hyundai Motor India's Managing Director Unsoo Kim and Chief Operating Officer Tarun Garg.

The case stems from a complaint filed by a Bharatpur resident who purchased a Hyundai Alcazar car in 2022 from an authorised dealership. After driving nearly 67,000 kilometres, the owner claimed the vehicle developed persistent technical and manufacturing problems. When the company refused to offer a replacement or refund, he lodged a criminal complaint.

A magistrate's court then ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) alleging offences of cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Unsoo Kim, and Tarun Garg argued that their inclusion in the complaint was entirely arbitrary and driven by malice and also noted that the complaint failed to mention any cognisable offence committed by them.

“The petitioners have no connection or nexus with the sale of the vehicle in question and do not deal with consumer complaints for repairing or manufacturing defects in the sold car,” the petition said as reported by Bar & Bench.

After considering the case, the Rajasthan High Court issued notices to both the police and the complainant and put the FIR investigation on hold. The Court also suggested that the parties consider mediation to resolve the dispute and directed Hyundai officials to explore this option.

Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, VR Bajwa, and Madhav Mitra, with Advocates Aparajita Jaunwal, Aditya Sharma, Jaya Mitra, Sanjay Kumar, Abhishek Kr Singh, Saurabh Kumar, Vedanshi Jalan, and Savita Nathawat, appeared for the petitioners.

(With inputs from Bar & Bench)