Supreme Court grants bail to Vikram Bhatt in cheating case

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt in a cheating case. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi ordered their forthwith release from Udaipur jail and asked the Chief Judicial Magistrate to pass the bail order delineating 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 for February 19. On January 31, the Rajasthan High Court rejected their bail applications in the cheating 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 cheating 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 has alleged that funds to the tune of Rs 30 crore were misappropriated. The complaint alleged that the Bhatts prepared fake bills under various names and got money transferred from the complainant. The money was supposed to be for making films for the complainant, but was allegedly deposited into the accused's own accounts and used by them. Apart from 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.