Delhi’s Patiala House Court has summoned former Member of Parliament (MP) and veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and two others in a cheating case related to the Garam Dharam Dhaba franchise. The summons were issued based on a complaint filed by Delhi businessman Sushil Kumar, who alleged that he was lured into investing in the franchise. The other two accused have also been summoned for the offence of criminal intimidation under section 506 of IPC.
Judicial magistrate Yashdeep Chahal passed the order against the 89-year-old actor on a complaint filed by Delhi businessman, Sushil Kumar, who alleged that he was lured into investing in the franchise, lawyer DD Pandey said. The judge said there was a prima facie case of cheating and criminal conspiracy against the actor and the co-accused persons, Deepak Bhardwaj and Umang Tiwari, and directed them to appear before the court on February 20, 2025.
The judge noted in an order passed on December 5 that the documents on record prima facie pertained to “Garam Dharam Dhaba†and the letter of intent also bore the logo of the restaurant. “It is fairly apparent that the transaction between the parties pertain to Garam Dharam Dhaba and was being pursued by accused number 2 (Bhardwaj) and 3 (Tiwari), on behalf of accused number 1 (Dharam Singh Deol). The evidence on record prima-facie indicates that the accused persons induced the complainant in furtherance of their common intent and the ingredients of the offence of cheating are duly disclosed,†the judge said.
The court summoned Bhardwaj and Tiwari for allegedly criminally intimidating the complainant when he enquired about the project after the payment. It is fairly apparent that the transaction between the parties pertains to Garam Dharam Dhaba and was being pursued by the co-accused on behalf of the actor, the court noted.
According to the complaint, in April 2018, the co-accused approached him on behalf of Dharam Singh Deol (Dharmendra) with an offer to open a franchise of Garam Dharam Dhaba on NH-24/NH-9 in Uttar Pradesh. He claimed that he handed over a cheque for an amount of Rs 17.70 lakh in September, 2018. However, the accused stopped responding to him thereafter, the complainant alleged.
A series of meetings and email exchanges reportedly followed, culminating in the execution of a letter of intent on September 22, 2018. As part of this agreement, Kumar and his business associates were to invest Rs 63 lakh and provide suitable land for the franchise. Subsequently, Kumar alleged that he issued a cheque for Rs 17.70 lakh, which was encashed by the respondents. He also purchased land near Gajraula, District Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, on November 2, 2018, for the franchise. However, despite repeated requests for work to begin, the respondents neither inspected the site nor responded to Kumar’s communications. Allegedly, they also threatened him with dire consequences if he attempted to contact them again.
The police inquiry confirmed the execution of the letter of intent but stated the case was a civil dispute related to a breach of contract. The police noted that Kumar no longer wanted the franchise and instead sought a refund of his investment. As no cognisable offence was found, the police concluded that no action was required.
