"First Pay Rs 60 Crore": Shilpa Shetty Denied Permission To Travel Abroad

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday denied actor Shilpa Shetty permission to travel to Colombo for a YouTube event, saying she should first pay Rs 60 crore in fraud charges before the matter is considered.

The court noted that a Lookout Circular (LOC) issued by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, remains in place. Due to this, they cannot travel abroad without the court's or the investigating agency's permission.

Shetty's lawyer told the court that the actor needed to attend a YouTube event in Colombo from October 25 to 29. When the court asked for an invitation, the lawyer said they had only spoken over the phone and would receive a formal invitation only after travel permission was granted.

The court, however, refused the request and said the couple should first pay Rs 60 crore rupees for the fraud charges before seeking travel permission. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for October 14.

The Bombay High Court delivered these remarks orally.

Last week also, the Bombay High Court denied permission to Shetty and Kundra to travel to Phuket, Thailand, for a family vacation, citing serious pending cases against them. The court refused to stay the LOC issued by the Mumbai Police's EOW.

The couple faces allegations by businessman Deepak Kothari, who claimed they convinced him to invest Rs 60 crore in their now-defunct company but used the money for personal expenses. Kundra has appeared before the EOW for questioning in connection with the case.

The case pertains to Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, a now-defunct teleshopping company launched by Shetty, Kundra, and actor Akshay Kumar, and promoted as India's first celebrity-based shopping channel.