MP High Court quashes ‘sham’ FIR against Jodhaa Akbar editor, orders state to pay compensation
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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has struck down criminal proceedings against Bollywood film editor Dilip Deo, calling the case a “sham FIR” filed with mala fide intent to extort money.
Deo, known for his work on 'Jodhaa Akbar' and 'Wanted', was arrested by Ujjain police in 2016 following allegations of criminal intimidation and fraud over a failed film promotion agreement.
The arrest had sparked controversy after the police team lured him from Mumbai under the pretext of a film editing project, took him into custody in a private vehicle, and compelled his wife to sign a cheque of ₹10 lakh.
Justice Subodh Abhyankar found the case riddled with irregularities and said it bore “all the trappings of a civil dispute.” He ordered the state to pay Deo ₹5 lakh in exemplary costs within a month, with liberty to recover the amount from the police officers involved and the original complainant.
The court noted that the FIR included Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, which had already been struck down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015). It also observed that Section 507 of the IPC, pertaining to anonymous calls, did not apply since the complainant had named the accused.
Justice Abhyankar pointed out that the FIR and the final report made no mention of any money being paid to the accused, undermining the fraud allegations.
Yet, documents revealed that the Ujjain police obtained a ₹10 lakh cheque from Deo’s wife during his arrest in Mumbai, raising further concerns over the investigation’s integrity.
The court’s findings triggered disciplinary action against officers involved.
Sub-Inspector Ramnath Bharti, Head Constable Narayan Singh, and Constable Nanuram were subjected to departmental proceedings. Inspector R.K. Singh, then Station House Officer of Birlagram, Nagda, was also penalised for sending a team to Mumbai without approval; his reply was deemed unsatisfactory, and one increment was withheld with cumulative effect.
In court, Deo argued that the case was “purely a civil dispute” and that both the Mumbai Police and Ujjain Police had already cleared him of wrongdoing. He also cited a Human Rights Commission order of October 2017, which awarded his wife interim relief of ₹25,000 for harassment.
Deo told the court he had “suffered irreparably on account of the mala-fide exercise of the powers of the police personnel,” saying that after the FIR was lodged, industry colleagues distanced themselves from him, leaving him in a “hand to mouth situation.”