New Delhi, February 13 The Supreme Court granted bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, in a fraud case on Friday.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi ordered their immediate release from the Udaipur jail and directed the Chief Judicial Magistrate to issue the bail order, specifying the terms and conditions.
The top court also issued notices to complainant Ajay Murdia, the founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre and a resident of Udaipur, and the Rajasthan government, with a deadline of February 19.
On January 31, the Rajasthan High Court rejected their bail applications in the fraud case.
The two have been in jail since December 7, 2025, when they were arrested in Mumbai and brought to Udaipur.
While rejecting their bail, the high court observed that granting bail to the accused at this stage would not be appropriate.
Vikram Bhatt was arrested after Murdia filed a complaint of fraud and criminal breach of trust against the filmmaker, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt, and others, alleging that funds taken in the name of a film project were misappropriated.
The complaint alleges that funds amounting to Rs 30 crore were misappropriated. The complaint alleges that the Bhatts prepared fake bills under various names and obtained money transfers from the complainant.
The money was supposed to be used for making films for the complainant, but was allegedly deposited into the accused's own accounts and used by them.
Besides Vikram and his wife, Dinesh Kataria, based in Udaipur, and Bhatt's manager, Mehboob Ansari, were also arrested by the Rajasthan Police on December 7, 2025.
