In a recent development, the Supreme Court of India has ordered the transfer of a fraud case against Bollywood director and choreographer Remo D’Souza to the Karkardooma Court in Delhi. The decision, delivered by Justices Suryakant and Ujjwal Bhuiyan, affirmed that transferring the case from Ghaziabad to Delhi would not adversely affect the prosecution.
The lawsuit originates from allegations made by Ghaziabad businessman Satyendra Tyagi, who filed a First Information Report (FIR) against D’Souza in 2016. Tyagi accused D’Souza of inducing him to invest five crore rupees in an upcoming film titled ‘Amar Must Die’, promising to double the investment post-release—a promise Tyagi claims was never fulfilled. The case against D’Souza involves charges under sections 420, 406, and 386 of the Indian Penal Code.
The controversy deepened when Tyagi alleged that D’Souza, through underworld figure Prasad Pujari, threatened him when he demanded his money back. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Ghaziabad took cognizance of the crime in October 2020. D’Souza had challenged these proceedings in the Allahabad High Court, seeking to stay the magistrate’s proceedings, but his petition to quash the 2016 fraud case was denied.
On November 15, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and Tyagi in connection with the fraud case. D’Souza’s counsel argued that the matter, initially civil, has been improperly converted into a criminal case, merely involving a breach of agreement between the parties. During the hearing, the Supreme Court noted that moving the case to Delhi would expedite the proceedings and saw no reason for further delays in the trial.
