The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest order of Sonakshi Sinha for a criminal case lodged by an event organiser for allegedly cheating them.
After a case of fraud was registered against Sonakshi Sinha in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, the Bollywood actor's management agency on 23 February said the organiser is using the media to release false and manipulated facts and that if he doesn't stop, Sonakshi and her team will be forced to take legal action.
The complaint alleged that the actor along with four others -- Malvika Punjabi, Dhumil Thakkar, Edgar Sakaria and Abhishek Sinha -- have defrauded the complainant of Rs 32 lakh.
In the police complaint, Pramod Sharma has said that an amount of Rs 32 lakh had been transferred to Sonakshi's account for her presence at an event but she did not turn up.
On Friday 9 March, a division bench comprising justice Naheed Ara Moonis and justice Virendra Kumar Srivastava disposed a writ petition filed by Sonakshi. The bench directed that Sonakshi not be arrested until the police complete their investigation and submit a report.
The court ordered that Sonakshi should assist the investigation and appear before them when required.
“It is clarified that the petitioner shall not be subjected to any embarrassment or harassment in the intervening period”, the court read. The court however declined to quash the FIR lodged against her.
“From perusal of the FIR, prima facie cognizable offences is made out at this stage against the petitioner, therefore, we do not find any cogent reason to quash the first information report. The prayer for quashing the first information report is refused”
Sonakshi’s counsel continued to argue that the complainant had the ulterior motive of exerting pressure on her.
(With Inputs From: IANS, Hindustan Times)
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