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.