The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and Ghaziabad-based businessman Satyendra Tyagi in a cheating case involving ace Bollywood director and choreographer Remo D'Souza.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan sought responses of the state government and the businessman and ordered that the notices be served 'dasti' mode.
The case dates back to 2016 when an FIR was lodged against D'Souza by Tyagi.
The FIR alleged that D'Souza persuaded Tyagi to invest Rs 5 crore in his upcoming film 'Amar Must Die' with a promise of doubling the invested amount after its release.
However, the businessman claimed that the promise was not honoured.
The FIR, filed under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 386 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), also alleged that when Tyagi sought his money, D'Souza threatened him by having underworld don Prasad Pujari intimidate him.
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ghaziabad, took cognizance of the offence in October 2020.
D'Souza moved the Allahabad High Court to challenge the cognizance order and seek a stay on the proceedings.
However, on August 23, 2023, the High Court dismissed his petition. A bench of Justice Rajeev Misra noted that D'Souza had not challenged the chargesheet filed in the case, making it impossible for the court to grant him relief.
The top court took up the appeal of D'Souza on Thursday and issued the notices. "Issue notice, returnable on November 22. Only 'dasti' service is permitted," it said.
Remo D'Souza, born Ramesh Gopi Nair on April 2, 1974, is a luminary in the entertainment industry, celebrated as a choreographer, film director and producer.
With a career spanning over 25 years, D'Souza has choreographed more than 100 films, earning widespread acclaim as one of Bollywood's most successful and innovative choreographers.
His directorial ventures, including ABCD: Any Body Can Dance, ABCD 2, and Street Dancer 3D have redefined the dance film genre in the Hindi film industry.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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