Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone Get Relief As Rajasthan HC Stays Probe Over 'Faulty' Hyundai Car Case

Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone have received interim relief on Thursday as the Rajasthan High Court temporarily stayed a cheating case probe linked to the sale of an allegedly faulty Hyundai car, as per Bar and Bench report.

The high court has issued notices to both the police and the complainant, and ordered that the probe based on the FIR remain on hold for now. The court further suggested that the parties consider mediation to resolve the dispute and directed Hyundai officials to explore this option.

Justice Sudesh Bansal also extended the stay to include Hyundai Motor India's Managing Director Unsoo Kim and Chief Operating Officer Tarun Garg.

On Aug. 27, upset with a 'faulty' Hyundai car, Advocate Kirti Singh in Rajasthan lodged an FIR against Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. The Bharatpur resident purchased Hyundai’s Alcazar 2022 model for Rs 23.97 lakh three years ago from an authorised dealership in Haryana's Sonipat but has been facing issues ever since.

After driving nearly 67,000 kilometres, the owner claimed the vehicle developed persistent technical and manufacturing problems. When the company refused to offer a replacement or refund, he lodged a criminal complaint.

The FIR has been filed at a Bharatpur police station under penal sections for cheating, criminal breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy against Khan and Padukone as they were "brand ambassadors" of the company.

A magistrate's court then ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) alleging offences of cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Unsoo Kim, and Tarun Garg argued that their inclusion in the complaint was entirely arbitrary and driven by malice and also noted that the complaint failed to mention any cognisable offence committed by them.

"The petitioners have no connection or nexus with the sale of the vehicle in question and do not deal with consumer complaints for repairing or manufacturing defects in the sold car," the petition said as reported by Bar & Bench.

Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, VR Bajwa, and Madhav Mitra, with Advocates Aparajita Jaunwal, Aditya Sharma, Jaya Mitra, Sanjay Kumar, Abhishek Kr Singh, Saurabh Kumar, Vedanshi Jalan, and Savita Nathawat, appeared for the petitioners.