Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra and two others have been summoned by the Patiala House Court in Delhi in connection with a cheating case involving the ‘Garam Dharam Dhaba’ franchise. The summons were issued by Judicial Magistrate Yashdeep Chahal based on a complaint by Delhi businessman Sushil Kumar, who claimed he was lured into investing in the franchise.
The judge noted that the evidence provided suggests the accused induced the complainant with the intent to cheat. The court ordered the accused, including Dharmendra (listed as Dharam Singh Deol), to appear on charges of cheating under sections 420, 120B, and 34 of the IPC, along with criminal intimidation under section 506 of IPC for two of the co-accused. The next hearing is scheduled for February 20, 2025.
The complaint states that in April 2018, the co-accused approached Kumar, promising a lucrative investment in a Garam Dharam Dhaba franchise in Uttar Pradesh. Kumar was told that branches in Delhi’s Connaught Place and Haryana’s Murthal were generating monthly turnovers of Rs 70-80 lakh. He was assured a 7% profit on his Rs 41 lakh investment and offered full support for the setup.
Also Read: Sunny Deol Shares Heartfelt Video as Dharmendra Turns 89
After further meetings and exchanges, Kumar was asked to invest Rs 63 lakh and secure land for the business. The complainant made an initial payment of Rs 17.70 lakh, and land was purchased in November 2018. However, no further progress was made, and the respondents failed to inspect the land or engage with the complainant. Despite numerous attempts to contact them, the complainant alleges he was threatened if he pursued the matter further.
An inquiry conducted by the police previously concluded that the issue was one of breach of contract, which was a civil matter and did not warrant criminal action. However, the court has now taken cognizance of the case, leading to the issuance of summons against the accused.
