BharatPe fraud case: Delhi HC quashes lookout circular against Ashneer Grover, wife
New Delhi, Nov 12: The Delhi High Court has ordered cancellation of a lookout circular (LOC) issued against Ashneer Grover, the former MD of payment app BharatPe, and his wife Madhuri Jain Grover, noting that the FIR lodged against them over allegations of cheating and forgery has already been quashed.
Justice Sanjeev Narula passed the order on Monday after the court was informed that another bench of the high court quashed the FIR on the same day.
The FIR was quashed by Justice Chandra Dhari Singh after considering a plea moved by the Grovers stating that they have arrived at a settlement with the fintech company.
In his order, Justice Narula said, "Although the copy of the order (quashing the FIR) is not available as of now, the aforenoted fact is not disputed by the counsel for the parties.
"In light of the fact that the underlying FIR has been quashed, the LOC issued by respondent No. 3 (Bureau of Immigration), in the opinion of the court, will not survive."
The LOC was issued by the Bureau of Immigration at the instance of Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in view of the investigation against the Grovers in the cheating and forgery FIR.
The court was hearing a plea moved by Grover and his wife Madhuri Jain Grover seeking quashing of the LOC issued against them in connection with the investigation into the cheating and forgery case.
"Accordingly, the present petitions are disposed of with a direction to the respondents to cancel the LOC against the petitioners in their records," the court noted.
Earlier, the Grovers claimed that they were informed about the LOC for the first time when they were detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on November 16, 2023, while they were scheduled to travel to the US.
After being detained, they were informed that the LOC was operational from November 6, 2023.
In May last year, the EOW filed an FIR against Grover, his wife Madhuri, and others under eight sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 467 and 468 (forgery), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) for an alleged Rs 81 crore fraud after a complaint was lodged by BhartPe, the fintech unicorn.
In its complaint, BharatPe alleged that Grover and his family caused damages to the tune of Rs 81.3 crore through illegitimate payments to bogus human resource consultants, inflated and undue payments through pass-through vendors connected to the accused, sham transactions in input tax credit and payment of penalty to GST authorities, illegal payment to travel agencies, forged invoices by Madhuri, and destruction of evidence.
Madhuri was the head of controls at BharatPe before she was fired in 2022 after a forensic audit revealed several irregularities.
Subsequently, Grover resigned as the chief executive officer of the fintech firm in March 2022.
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‘Operation Sindoor’ film announcement sparks backlash, director issues apology
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI): The announcement of a film based on Operation Sindoor, India’s recent military strikes in Pakistan, has sparked a major controversy and backlash, prompting the director to issue an apology.
The film, titled "Operation Sindoor", was announced on Friday night by director Uttam Maheshwari on social media. The project will be produced by Nicky Vicky Bhagnani Films and The Content Engineer.
The makers also shared a poster which featured a woman soldier wearing combat gear and holding a weapon. She is seen applying sindoor, the red vermillion worn by married Hindu women, to her hair parting.
The scene is set in a battlefield with explosions, barbed wire, military tanks, and fighter jets.
India carried out the targeted strikes on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early Wednesday under 'Operation Sindoor', two weeks after the massacre of 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
The announcement of the movie faced backlash, with many social media users criticising its timing.
"Sharam karo yaar, war is on. (Have some shame)," said one user.
Another person wrote, "'Sindoor' or 'Operation Sindoor' should not be commercialised by corporations or the film industry (to make a movie in that title!) for profit. Legally, it may be allowed—but morally, it’s wrong. Some things deserve respect, not a chance to cash in.."
"Stop embarrassing yourself and your country," read one post.
"This is so inappropriate and uncalled for," one user posted.
One user criticised the film's team, saying that it should be boycotted.
"They can stoop to such levels of disgrace and disrespect for the nation and our armed forces soldiers' who are at the frontline sacrificing their sweat and blood. At this hour of crisis it Wasn't required at all!!!!" the post added.
Following the criticism, Maheshwari, whose past work as a filmmaker is not known, issued an apology on his Instagram Stories.
"My sincere apologies for recently announcing a film based on Operation Sindoor, inspired by the recent heroic efforts of our Indian Armed Forces. The intent was never to hurt or provoke anyone's sentiments.
"As a filmmaker, I was moved by the courage, sacrifice, and strength of our soldiers and leadership, and simply wished to bring this powerful story to light. This project was born out of deep respect and love for our nation and not for fame and monetisation," he wrote.
Maheshwari said he is aware that the timing of the movie may have caused "discomfort or pain to some".
"For that, I deeply regret. This is not just a film, it's an emotion of the entire nation and a social image of the country globally," he said, while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Our love and prayers will always be with the families of the martyrs as well as the Bravo warriors who are fighting on the border day and night to give us a new morning.
Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!" he concluded the statement.
Since the military strikes, Bollywood filmmakers and actors are scrambling to secure film titles inspired by the event.
Within just two days, over 30 title applications, including names like "Operation Sindoor", "Mission Sindoor" and "Sindoor: The Revenge", were submitted to industry bodies Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA), Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) and Western India Film Producers' Association (WIFPA).
