Shilpa Shetty withdraws petition to travel abroad in ₹60-crore fraud probe

The decision followed the court's expression of reservations about granting the couple permission to leave the country.

Advocate Niranjan Mundargi, appearing for Shetty, told a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad that the proposed trip to the United States, reportedly for a “professional commitment” linked to an international video collaboration, had “not materialised.”

“The applicant is not intending to travel as of now and seeks liberty to withdraw,” Mundargi said, adding that Shetty reserved the right to file a fresh application if necessary in the future.

During the hearing, complainant’s counsel Yusuf Iqbal objected to an affidavit dated October 14 filed by Shetty, claiming it was “not notarised in accordance with law” and that she had not signed it before the notary.

Mundargi said he had “no instructions” on the notarisation issue but reiterated that Shetty was withdrawing her travel request.

The main writ petition challenging the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Shetty and Kundra will be heard next on November 17.

The case stems from a complaint by businessman Deepak Kothari, who alleged that he was induced to invest ₹60 crore in Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, a company linked to Shetty and Kundra, and that the funds were diverted for personal use.

Earlier this month, the High Court refused to allow the couple to travel to Phuket, noting that they had failed to provide credible documents to justify the trip and that the investigation in the case was still underway.