Rajkumar Santoshi’s attorney, Binesh Patel, has confirmed that the filmmaker has been granted bail in the cheque-bouncing case. The court has postponed the judgement for the next 30 days.
During a recent hearing, the court sentenced Santoshi to a two-year jail term and ordered him to repay double the owed amount to a businessman. However, the Jamnagar court in Gujarat has allowed Santoshi a 30-day stay on the order to appeal against it, enabling him to challenge the verdict in a higher court.
Santoshi’s lawyer, Binesh Patel, stated that they would appeal against the magisterial court’s judgement. Patel emphasized that the court had stayed its judgement for 30 days and granted Santoshi bail after they sought time to appeal. He also highlighted that the prosecution failed to produce any documentary evidence proving Santoshi’s involvement in the alleged financial transaction. Patel further mentioned that the complainants did not want to present the third party who allegedly collected the money, which raises questions about Santoshi’s awareness of the situation. They plan to appeal at a higher forum based on these points and more.
The complainant, Ashok Lal, a prominent industrialist, claimed to have received 10 cheques totaling Rs 1 crore from Santoshi, which later bounced.
Piyush Bhojani, the businessman’s advocate, confirmed the sentencing, stating that Lal contributed Rs 1 crore to Santoshi’s film and received cheques in return, which bounced.
On the professional front, Santoshi is gearing up for his next directorial venture, ‘Lahore 1947,’ produced by Aamir Khan Productions. This project marks the first collaboration between Sunny Deol, Santoshi, and Aamir Khan.
