lucknow

Updated: Mar 09, 2019 21:11 IST

The Allahabad high court on Friday stayed the arrest of actor Sonakshi Sinha in connection with a criminal case lodged against her allegedly cheating an organiser of an event.

An FIR was lodged against Sinha and four others at Katghar police station, Moradabad, on February 22, 2019 by one Pramod Sharma, alleging that she had agreed to participate in an event on September 30, 2018 at Delhi and had accepted a sum of Rs 37 lakh for it. However, she declined to come at the last moment and because of it he suffered huge losses, Sharma further alleged.

Disposing of a writ petition filed by Sinha, a division bench comprising justice Naheed Ara Moonis and justice Virendra Kumar Srivastava directed that she will not be arrested till the submission of report by the police after completion of investigation into the matter.

However while staying her arrest, the court directed that Sinha shall cooperate with the investigation and shall appear as and when required to assist in the investigation.

“It is clarified that the petitioner shall not be subjected to any embarrassment or harassment in the intervening period”, the court directed.

However, the court declined another request made in the petition for quashing of FIR lodged against the actor, saying, “From perusal of the FIR, prima facie cognizable offences is made out at this stage against the petitioner, therefore, we do not find any cogent reason to quash the first information report. The prayer for quashing the first information report is refused”.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for the petitioner submitted that the FIR had been lodged by the complainant containing concocted allegations against the petitioner with the ulterior motive of exerting pressure on her.