Smt. Shalini Bhateja & Anr Vs State of U.P. & Ors (Supreme Court of India)
The petitioners, accused in FIR No. 396 of 2025 registered at Police Station Tajganj, Agra, approached the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR on the ground of mala fide intent and alleged harassment. The High Court rejected this contention and directed the petitioners to appear before the Trial Court within 60 days, granting liberty to seek regular or anticipatory bail in accordance with existing precedents. Aggrieved, the petitioners approached the Supreme Court of India.
Before the Supreme Court, the petitioners argued that the dispute was civil in nature and did not warrant criminal proceedings. They also pointed out that three separate cases had been initiated on the same set of facts before different courts. The third respondent, represented by senior counsel, contended that the matter involved cheating, alleging that a refund already granted was wrongly credited to another person’s account of the same name, and that repeated refund demands were part of a collusive conspiracy to cheat the corporate entity. It was also noted that the corporate entity was undergoing proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal, where an Interim Resolution Professional had been appointed.
