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Actor's Commission Dispute: Court Rules Commercial Breach Not Criminal
27 Aug
Summary
- Court dismissed a plea against Sunny Leone over Rs 70 lakh alleged commission.
- A commercial breach isn't criminal unless dishonest intent is proven from outset.
- Transaction documents indicated a commercial agreement, not criminal intent.
A Mumbai sessions court recently dismissed a criminal revision plea filed against actor Sunny Leone (Karenjit Kaur Vohra), her husband Daniel Weber, and their manager Sunny Rajani. The case pertained to an alleged unpaid commission of over Rs 70 lakh related to a Telugu film. The complainant, Omprakash Jain, had accused the parties of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and intimidation.
Complainant Jain claimed he was promised a 10% incentive on the Rs 1.75 crore consideration for Leone's engagement, having facilitated her role. He alleged receiving only partial payments, with a significant balance of Rs 70 lakh withheld. Jain's private complaint was previously dismissed by a magistrate's court in 2024.
Additional Sessions Judge P A Sane observed that documents like tax invoices and settlement agreements pointed towards a commercial transaction. The court held that a mere non-payment, even if accepted, does not inherently establish cheating or breach of trust, emphasizing that fraudulent or dishonest intent must exist from the outset for such a dispute to be treated as a criminal offense.
