The Supreme Court docket of India on Friday granted interim bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his spouse Shwetambari Bhatt in reference to a fraud case alleging large-scale monetary misappropriation. Earlier, their bail attraction was rejected twice. The matter is now slated for additional listening to on February 19, 2026.The couple had spent over two months in judicial custody after being arrested on December 7, 2025. They have been detained by the Rajasthan Police in Mumbai and subsequently taken to Udaipur following a criticism lodged by Dr. Ajay Murdia, founding father of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre.
As per the FIR registered in Udaipur, Murdia accused Bhatt, his spouse and others of dishonest and prison breach of belief. The criticism alleged that almost ₹30 crore, purportedly invested for movie manufacturing ventures, was siphoned off into private accounts as an alternative of being utilised for the agreed tasks.It was additional claimed that fabricated invoices have been generated below totally different names to allow the switch of funds. In accordance with the allegations, these paperwork have been used to justify funds that have been later diverted for functions unrelated to the proposed movies.Together with the Bhatts, Udaipur-based Dinesh Kataria and Bhatt’s supervisor Mehboob Ansari have been additionally arrested on December 7 in reference to the case.The interim aid was granted by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which directed that the matter be listed for additional proceedings later this month.Bhatt has persistently refuted the allegations. His lawyer, Kamlesh Dave, earlier challenged the premise of the police motion. As quoted by ANI, he said, “Each cost was made within the information of each events. There have been no such pretend or bogus payments. The settlement was completed to make two movies first and one other two on rolling finance.”The defence has additionally maintained that the investigation was launched with no correct evaluation of supporting paperwork, contending that the police acted “based mostly solely on the FIR and never paperwork”.Earlier than the Supreme Court docket stepped in, the Excessive Court docket had declined to quash the FIR, observing that the matter appeared to contain severe allegations of misappropriation reasonably than merely a contractual disagreement, and due to this fact warranted continued prison investigation.With interim bail now in place, the authorized battle will resume earlier than the Supreme Court docket on February 19 as arguments proceed over the substance and scope of the costs.
