Vikram Bhatt and wife granted bail in Rs 300 million fraud case by Supreme Court: 'Cannot put everyone in jail'
The couple was accused of misappropriating Rs 30 crore for his film
Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, were granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in a high-profile Rs 30 crore cheating case. Represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, the couple had been in Udaipur jail since their arrest in Mumbai on December 7, 2025, before being transferred to Rajasthan.
In court, Rohatgi argued, “He cannot put the director, his wife, everybody in jail. What is going on?” The statement was countered by opposing counsel, citing the complexity of a Rs 30 crore fraud case.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, noted that such cases cannot simply be used to recover money and ordered Vikram and Shwetambari’s release on interim bail, subject to bail bonds. The Chief Judicial Magistrate was directed to formalise the bail conditions.
The court has also issued notices to the complainant, Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre in Udaipur, and to the Rajasthan government, with the next hearing scheduled for February 19. Murdia had accused the couple and others of misappropriating Rs 30 crore under the pretext of a film project, allegedly creating fake bills and diverting funds for personal use.
Earlier, in January, another complaint alleged that Vikram and his daughter, Krishna Bhatt Sarda, had defrauded a businessman of Rs 13.5 crore. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is handling investigations into these matters.
