New Delhi, February 13 The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt’s wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, in a multi-crore rupee fraud case.
The top court also sought responses from the Rajasthan Police and the complainant, Ajay Murdia, the founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre, and a resident of Udaipur, by February 18, and said it may consider Vikram Bhatt's bail plea the following day.
Murdia alleged in his complaint that Bhatt and his wife induced him to invest over Rs 30 crore in a biopic of his late wife, promising high returns.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Bhatts, and ordered the immediate release of Shwetambari Bhatt from Udaipur jail.
The bench asked the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Udaipur to pass the bail order, specifying the terms and conditions for her release.
The top court also issued notices to Ajay Murdia, the founder of Indira IVF and Fertility Centre, and a resident of Udaipur, and the Rajasthan government, for February 19.
Rohatgi said that the director and his wife and others have been put behind bars.
"It's not as simple as that… Rs 30 crore fraud," the counsel for the state government said.
"But, you can't use these cases to recover money," the bench said, adding that the complainant should also be made a party to the petition.
"Unfortunately, they (the petitioners) have not sought to quash the FIR… How was Rajasthan chosen? This is very unfortunate," the bench said.
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 further alleges that the Bhatts prepared fake bills under various names and got money transferred from the complainant.
The money was meant for making films for the complainant, but it was allegedly deposited into the accused's own accounts and used by them.
Besides Vikram and his wife, Udaipur-based Dinesh Kataria and Bhatt's manager, Mehboob Ansari, were also arrested by the Rajasthan Police on December 7, 2025.
