Sunny Leone moves Kerala High Court to quash cheating case

Actress Sunny Leone (Karanjit Kaur Vohra) and her husband Daniel Weber have approached the Kerala High Court to quash a cheating case registered against them [Karanjit Kaur Vohra & Ors. v State of Kerala & Anr.]..The couple, along with an employee, were accused in a crime registered based on a complaint moved by a Kerala based event manager. The complainant had alleged that despite paying Leone lakhs of rupees to appear and perform in events, the actress did not show up.Subsequently, a crime was registered against them alleging commission of offences punishable under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonesty inducing delivery of property) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The present plea claims that the trio are completely innocent of the allegations and that even if the allegations are taken at face value, the offences alleged would not be attracted. The complainant has not faced any losses due to the petitioners but the petitioners' lives are being adversely affected by the case, the plea said.The plea also pointed out that the complainant had also moved a civil suit with the same allegations which was dismissed by a Magistrate Court in July 2022 for want of evidence. Therefore, they sought to quash the proceedings against them..In February 2021, single-judge Justice Ashok Menon had granted the trio interim protection from arrest on their applications seeking anticipatory bail. The Court had also ordered that the Police must serve notices to them under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in order for them to appear for interrogation. Further, it had refused to restrain them from travelling abroad dispute the requests made by the complainant in that regard.The interim order has been extended by the Court with the latest order extending their protection from arrest being passed by Justice K Babu in November 2022..The petitioners are represented by advocates R Sanjith, CS Sindhu Krishnah, Suraj Krishnan, and Sidhi K Kutty.