Celebs' brush with the law

Eros International has sent a notice to Abhishek Kapoor for refusing to refund an advance of Rs 60 lakh, taken as part of fee to helm a planned Ranbir Kapoor starrer, reports Mumbai Mirror. Abhishek recently sued his Rock On!! producers, Excel Entertainment, for excluding him from the credits of the musical's sequel. The report quoted a source close to the development, that the transaction took place in August 2010, but five years later, Abhishek is yet to start work on it. Jyoti Deshpande, Group Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Eros International, confirmed the news to Mirror, saying, “We have patiently waited for over five years for Abhishek to make the film for us. We don't want any bad-blood. We are only asking for a refund of the money that he owes us. A notice has been served. Since he has to refund the advance of Rs 60 lakh, a strong case will be made against him if he fails to do so. His way of functioning has been highly unprofessional." However, Abhishek's spokesperson denied the news.

Read further to know how Salman Khan was said to be threatening a blogger who wrote about him...

A buzz doing the rounds suggests that Salman Khan is threatening a blogger to take down the posts that he had written about his 2002 hit-and-run case, reports Bollywoodlife.com. However, further quoting a source, the report stated that Salman never threatened any blogger. Further to reports, the actor had no interaction with the blogger or vice versa; a notice was sent to him, but no part of it is a threat. It was a case of defamation and there was no proof, otherwise the blogger would not have taken down the posts, the report concluded.

Read further to know which actress from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was booked for cheating a film director...

According to a report, actress Himani Shivpuri has been booked for cheating an Indore-based film director by the Vijay Nagar police. This was a court directive. Director Mohammad Ali claimed that the actress had entered a contract with him where she was supposed to work in his film. The FIR also mentioned that the veteran actress had been paid Rs 1 lakh, 1.5 lakh and 2.5 lakh over time as an advance amount to act in his film, the report added.The report also stated that Shivpuri backed out and when the director asked for his money back, she threatened him with dire consequences. The director then filed an FIR and has moved court against her.

While Shivani's case is being investigated, read on to know the latest happening in the Salman Khan 2002 hit-and-run case.

According to a DNA report, on the third day of the final arguments in Salman Khan's alleged hit- and-run case, prosecution informed the court that the conduct of the actor at the time of incident clearly showed that he was guilty. Special public prosecutor, Pradeep Gharat countered that unless and until the accused is guilty, he had no reason to leave the spot; rather he would have helped the victims and would have approached the police and concluded that this conduct proved the guilt of the accused. The prosecution also mentioned that one of their witnesses, an RTO officer, had "intentionally tried to sabotage the case to help the defence."

Read on to know what the prosecution had to say about Salman's statement...

The prosecution has rejected Salman Khan's driver Ashok Singh's statement and asked why Singh was silent for last twelve years and hadn't testified earlier. Apparently, the prosecution has alleged that Khan did not have driving licence and was under the influence of liquor at the time of the accident, both of which are claims that the actor has vehemently denied while recording his statement, last week. while making the final arguments in the case, special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat said, "It appears that he is a 'brought up' witness and as such his evidence cannot be accepted." Gharat also questioned Salman's reluctance to be examined. He said, "If he (Khan) had chosen to examine himself he would have been exposed in cross-examination." The prosecution assailed the defence theory that the mishap had occurred due to a mechanical fault in Khan's Land Cruiser Lexus and also because of tyre burst. "That is not possible because the car is a high end sport utility vehicle and has a display panel indicator which gives alerts if any defects crop up. The car is a fully automatic power-loaded one which will not take it away from the road in case of mechanical failure," said the prosecutor.

Read on to know more about the hit-and-run case...

According to a report on Movies.ndtv.com, a police officer, who had registered an FIR against actor Salman Khan in the hit-and-run case in 2002, informed the trial court that Salman was neither found at the accident spot nor at his house on the day of the mishap. The report quoted investigating officer Rajendra Kadam saying that when he reached the spot, he did not find Salman Khan, then he went to his house, but Salman couldn't be traced even there. The report further quoted the officer saying that on reaching the spot, he found that people had gathered there and were pushing around Salman's bodyguard Ravindra Patil, who later told the police about the incident. The complaint that was registered stated that Salman was driving the car at the time of the accident and he was under the influence of liquor. According to a report in agencies, Salman was later arrested on the same day from a lawyer's house, a police officer who investigated the case told the trial court.

Read further to know how the court allowed the statement of Salman's dead bodyguard and the medico in the case...

According to a report on Mid-day.com, Mumbai Sessions Court had allowed the prosecution in the Salman Khan hit-and-run case to rely on the statements of the late Ravindra Patil, who was a witness to the 2002 accident and was also Salman's bodyguard along with a medico who performed the autopsy on the accident victim. Patil passed away in 2007 due to natural causes when the trial was underway before the magistrate court, while Sanap, the doctor who performed the autopsy, is based in the US. Further to the report on Mid-day.com, Patil was sitting next to Salman Khan on the night of the accident and had warned the actor against rash driving but Salman did not pay attention to his advice. After the accident, Patil filed a complaint with the police where a pavement dweller was killed and four others were injured in Bandra on September 28, 2002. Judge DW Deshpande had allowed the prosecution and defense to file their replies on Patil's statement and also said that Salman Khan will have a chance to have his say in the matter and cross-examine the investigation officer with the next hearing being scheduled for March 12, the report further added.

While the trial for 2002 hit-and-run case is underway, let's take a look at the court proceedings in the illegal arms' case against Salman Khan.

According to reports, the Salman Khan hit-and-run case took a turn for the worse when the RTO officer's statement claimed that the actor had no driving licence on his name when the incident had occured. On September 28, 2002, Salman was arrested for rash and negligent driving which allegedly killed one person and injured four others. The actor is under trial for this alleged act. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the prosecution in the 2002 hit-and-run case told the sessions court that Salman's lawyer was delaying the trial to which the judge agreed saying that the case had already been going on for 13 years and should end by December. As per a report in Mumbai Mirror, the actor was present in the court on December 3, as the judge heard depositions in the case. The report presented, stated that as per the chemical analysis, Salman's blood alcohol level was found to be double the legal limit. After a series of questioning and cross-questioning, the case was adjourned to a further date.

However, this isn't the only legal trouble that the Dabangg Khan has to face. Read on to know more...

According to a report, the Jodhpur court deferred its verdict in the illegal arms' case against Salman Khan and pushed the matter for March 3, 2015. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (district) Anupama Bijlani deferred its verdict and started the hearing of four old applications which were moved by the prosecution in 2006, the report stated. The court was scheduled to deliver its final verdict in the case on February 25, 2015. Defence counsel H S Saraswat said, "Since these applications did not come up during the hearing of the case since 2006, the prosecution might not have considered them to be important. Now, the process will take some more time."

Read on to know more about the case...

According to a report on Ndtv.com, the Jodhpur court was to pronounce its final judgement in the Arms Act case involving Salman Khan on February 25, 2015. Salman was required to appear in the court for the same. The actor was earlier restrained from travelling to Britain as the Supreme Court had cancelled the court order that had put his five-year jail term in a 1998 poaching case, on hold. Under the British immigration rules, a person sentenced to more than four years in jail is not eligible for a visa and Salman was convicted in 2007 for hunting and killing an endangered species of deer while shooting for a film in Rajasthan in 1998. He is currently out of the jail on bail.

Let's take a look at other celebrities who found themselves embroiled in legal tussles, their popularity notwithstanding.

According to a report, Parvez Qureshi, a 45-year-old employee of a film production firm, who used to pass off inside information of his bosses to fugitive gangster Ezaz Lakhdawala, was arrested by the Anti Extortion Cell of Mumbai police. Interestingly, the complaint was filed by one of the directors of Zahara production Shabana Hashmi who recently produced Hindi debut Barkhaa.

In her complant filed at crime branch, Shabana Hashmi had alleged that just a day after she threw party for the film in June 2014, she and her husband, who runs a construction firm in Gujarat, started receiving overseas calls. In one of the tapped conversations, Chhota Rajan's aide Ezaz Lakhdawala had called her and demanded a sum of Rs 3 crore and also threatened her with dire consequences.

"Immediately after we called Qureshi for questioning, he started running away and finally disappeared for months. Recently the anti-chain snatching Andheri unit got a wind of Qureshi and they nabbed him," said an officer.

Read further to know how Shruti Haasan got embroiled in legal trouble...

According to an IANS report, actor Shruti Haasan has landed herself in a legal wrangle with a media and entertainment house, after it initiated legal proceedings against her. Shruti allegedly pulled out of the media house's yet-to-be-titled Tamil-Telugu bilingual project citing the issue of dates, the report stated. "Shruti Hassan after entering into a contractual agreement to be the female lead in a bilingual starring Nagarjuna and Karthi directed by Vamsi Paidipalli has reneged on her contractual obligations. She has arbitrarily pulled out of the project citing dates clash as a flimsy excuse," read a statement in the report. "The dates were mutually discussed with her and schedules were planned around her convenience. The said movie has commenced its shoot and first schedule was completed and unexpectedly Shruti conveyed through an email that she wanted to exit the project," added the statement.

Further to the report, the company claims that the unethical and unprofessional act of Shruti has resulted in heavy loss in time, reputation and finances. "With an intention of ensuring that such unprofessional attitude is not repeated and to protect the interests of its various stakeholders, Picturehouse Media has initiated both civil and criminal proceedings against Shruti Hassan," the statement read further. According to the company, an injunction order restraining Shruti from signing any new movie has been passed.

Read further to know about Salman Khan's legal troubles...

According to an IANS report, a Kolkata-based company has filed a police complaint against Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty alleging that it was fraudulently induced to invest Rs 9 crore in a company run by her, police said on Sunday (March 22, 2015). Police have initiated a case against Shilpa and Ripu Sudan Kundra of Essential Sports and Media Private Limited following the complaint by MK Media Private Limited's additional director Debashis Guha, the report stated. "We have registered a case against Shilpa and her company on the charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating, extortion, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy," Deputy Commissioner of Police Murli Dhar said to IANS.

According to the complaint, "Shilpa and others allegedly induced the complainant company to invest a sum of Rs 9 crore with the promise of 10 times return against the invested amount within two years." The complainant company has also claimed that against the investment of Rs 9 crore, it was allotted 30 lakh equity shares which were subsequently reported to be bogus, Dhar to IANS. The Kolkata-based company earlier filed a civil suit before the Calcutta High Court, claiming refund of the Rs 9 crore it was "fraudulently induced" to invest in Shetty's company, the report concluded.

Read further to know how Farhan Akhtar got embroiled in legal trouble...

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor, who wrote and directed Rock On!!, has moved the Bombay High Court against the movie's sequel, Rock On 2, being produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment. He claims that he hasn't been credited for the story, the report stated. Kapoor has sought an injunction against Excel Entertainment from producing the movie, or entering into any third-party agreements related to it. He has also sought that whatever agreements are already in place should be disclosed before the court, stated the report. Further to the report, Kapoor said that screenplay writer Pubali Chaudhuri avoided meeting him and stopped taking his calls. His attempts to resolve the issues with the production house had failed. On February 11, 2014, he applied to the Film Writers' Association to register the script of Rock On 2 in his name and the association ruled in his favour, the report further stated. Regarding his deal with the production house, Kapoor said that when the agreement was executed he had just begun his career as writer and director, and had relatively low bargaining power as compared to a big and established production company like Excel. "The company's directors had created a friendly atmosphere and I started trusting them. The clauses of the agreement were in favour of Excel, and some of the clauses are even contradictory to one another and completely contrary to the Copyright Act," Kapoor said in the suit. According to a report in Bombay Times, the matter was supposed to come up for hearing in the High Court on March 18. However, the hearing has been postponed to April 7. Both Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani have been asked to file their reply in response to the charges put forth by Abhishek Kapoor.

While Ritesh Sidhwani said that he would comment on the matter when the time is right, read on to know why Saif Ali Khan's ancestral property might be confiscated...

According to a report in Mid-day, Saif Ali Khan's ancestral property in Bhopal might be confiscated by the government and the actor is trying his best to retain it. The Union home ministry has initiated a process to vest control of properties of the former princely state under the Enemy Property Act, 1968. Saif's grandmother Sajida Sultan had inherited the properties of Bhopal's last ruler, Nawab Hamidullah Khan in 1961 as her elder sister and heir apparent had migrated to Pakistan in 1950, a year after Bhopal State was merged with India. A source in the report was quoted as saying that Saif has been busy proving that the Pataudis are successors to the erstwhile Bhopal State since last December. He was also asked to submit a copy of the missing merger agreement between the last ruling Nawab and Indian Union.

While Saif is having a tough time with the legal tussle, read on to know how Geeta Kapoor ran into legal trouble...

The Versova police arrested Bollywood choreographer Geeta Kapoor (42) allegedly after the sedan she was driving knocked down a pedestrian at Vateshwar Naka in Versova in the wee hours on Thursday. The incident occurred around 5am on JP Road when Nisar Noormohammed (37), came out of a medical store after buying some medicines and was trying to cross the road."The choreographer has tried to settle the matter out of the police station level and even assured giving medical assistance and tried to avoid filing FIR against her. However, the case has been registered and she is being arrested,” said a police officer. Geeta called the ambulance and the police before taking Noormohammed to the Kokilaben Ambani hospital. “The choreographer was called to the police station and was arrested. She has been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 279 (rash driving) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others). She was not drunk at the time of incident and was later released on bail,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IX) Vinayak Deshmukh.

According to a report on Bollywoodlife.com, Amitabh Bachchan has landed into a legal trouble. The report stated that Big B has been summoned by a Los Angeles federal court in allegation pertaining to human rights violation. The lawsuit has been filed by a New York based body called Sikh For Justice (SFJ), which claims that Big B had instigated violence against the Sikh community by raising blood for blood slogans in 1984, the report further stated.

Big B's manager in Hollywood received a copy of the summons and according to the law, the megastar has 21 days to respond to their charges, read the report. Quoting a legal advisor of SFJ, a daily reported that if the defendant failed to respond by March 17, 2015, then they will move the court for the default judgment imposing compensatory and punitive damages against Bachchan for instigating violence which took lives of thousands of innocent Sikhs during November 1984, the Bollywoodlife.com report stated.

Read on to find which celeb was arrested for domestic violence...