The Supreme Court on Monday extended protection from arrest to actors Shreyas Talpade and Alok Nath till the conclusion of the investigation in a cheating and criminal breach of trust case linked to a cooperative society.
A Bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan disposed of Talpade’s writ petition by continuing the interim order shielding him from arrest while the probe proceeds. The Court was hearing pleas by both actors seeking clubbing of multiple FIRs registered in different states in connection with the case.
During the hearing, counsel for Talpade submitted that the actor had merely attended the company’s annual event as a guest celebrity and had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the society’s operations. “I am not supposed to know. I never earned any money,” the counsel told the Court.
Alok Nath’s counsel argued that the actor had not attended any function at all and that his photograph had allegedly been used by the society for the past 10 years without his participation.
The Bench posed a broader question on liability, asking whether actors or cricketers who appear in advertisements or serve as brand ambassadors could be held criminally responsible if a company later goes into liquidation or faces criminal cases. The Court then ordered continuation of the interim protection granted earlier to Talpade until the investigation is completed.
The case arises from a complaint filed by 37-year-old Vipul Antil, a resident of Sonipat, following which an FIR was registered on January 22. Thirteen people, including Talpade and Nath, were booked for allegedly promoting the Human Welfare Credit Cooperative Society Ltd as brand ambassadors.
According to the police, it has been alleged that investors were lured into putting money into the society because of the association with well-known personalities. “They were named in the complaint. An FIR has been registered. Now, it will be investigated what was their role,” the police said.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 316(2), 318(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for offences including criminal breach of trust and cheating. Investigators have alleged that the society committed a serious offence by cheating members of the public through financial schemes.
