The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt in a multi-crore cheating case registered in Rajasthan and regularised the interim bail earlier granted to his wife Shwetambari Bhatt. The Court also encouraged the parties to explore an amicable settlement through mediation.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi passed the order. Shwetambari Bhatt had been granted interim bail on February 13, which now stands confirmed.
The relief came after the Rajasthan High Court had rejected the couple’s bail pleas on January 31. They were arrested in Mumbai in December 2025 and subsequently brought to Udaipur in connection with the case.
The case arises from a complaint filed by Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre and a resident of Udaipur. He alleged that Vikram Bhatt and his wife induced him to invest more than ₹30 crore in a proposed biopic on his late wife, promising substantial returns.
According to the complaint, the funds were allegedly misappropriated. It was alleged that fake bills were generated under different names to facilitate transfers and that the money, which was meant for film production, was diverted into the personal accounts of the accused and used for their own purposes.
The FIR includes allegations of cheating and criminal breach of trust against the filmmaker, his wife, and others.
Apart from Vikram Bhatt and Shwetambari Bhatt, Udaipur-based Dinesh Kataria and Bhatt’s manager Mehboob Ansari were also arrested by the Rajasthan Police on December 7, 2025, in connection with the same case.
While granting bail to the couple, the Supreme Court asked the parties to make efforts to resolve the dispute through mediation, indicating the possibility of an amicable settlement alongside the ongoing criminal proceedings.
The matter pertains to alleged financial transactions linked to a film project and the utilisation of funds invested by the complainant.
