HC Defers Arrest of Sunny Deol in Fraud Case

Patna: July 6, 2004

A Patna High Court judge, on Monday, stayed the arrest of film star Sunny Deol for two months in a cheating case after Deol’s aides deposited Rs. 13 lakh in the court. The court also ordered no coercive action be taken by the plaintiff to intimidate Deol until the next date of hearing in September.

Deol’s lawyer said negotiations were on with the complainant for the rest of the Rs. 7 lakh and a settlement would be reached soon.

Earlier, a Vaishali court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the cine star and Managing Director of Vijeta Films Sunny Deol on the charge of fraud for issuing a check of Rs. 20 lakh that was returned by Deol's bank.

The warrant was issued in May ’04 by the Vaishali Chief Judicial Magistrate Ram Chadra Das after Arvind Kumar Chowdhary, a Bihar-based film distributor, filed a case against the film star after his check of Rs. 20 lakh was returned by his bank.

Chowdhary had alleged that he made a check payable to Vijeta Films in August 2003 for the distributorship of a new film based on Gandhi's life. The film was later shelved and Chowdhary wanted his money back. Deol’s company wrote him a check but the check bounce, he had alleged.