Delhi Court Summons Actor Dharmendra in Cheating Case Over Garam Dharam Dhaba Franchise

Delhi Court Summons Actor Dharmendra in Cheating Case Over Garam Dharam Dhaba Franchise

The ‘Garam Dharam Dhaba’ business is involved in a cheating case, and renowned Bollywood actor Dharmendra and two other people have been summoned by the Patiala House Court in Delhi. After Delhi businessman Sushil Kumar filed a complaint, Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Yashdeep Chahal issued the summons. Kumar says he was duped into purchasing a franchise for “Garam Dharam Dhaba.” In the summons order issued on December 5, the court stated, “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.”

In light of this, let the accused individuals at serial numbers 1 (Dharam Singh Deol), 2, and 3 be called in for offenses under sections 420, 120B, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The court mandated that the accused individuals at serial numbers 2 and 3 be called as well for the criminal intimidation offense under section 506 of the IPC. A follow-up hearing is planned for February 20, 2025. The court noted that just a prima facie case is taken into consideration at the summoning stage, and a thorough analysis of the case’s merits is not required.

The court observed that records, such as the letter of intent with the Garam Dharam Dhaba emblem, make it abundantly evident that the restaurant was a party to the transaction and that the co-accused was acting on accused Dharam Singh Deol’s behalf. In the case against Sushil Kumar, the complainant, the co-accused approached him on behalf of Dharam in April 2018 with an offer to create a Garam Dharam Dhaba franchise on NH-24/NH-9 in Uttar Pradesh. Under the false pretense that the restaurant’s locations in Connaught Place, Delhi, and Murthal, Haryana, were bringing in between ₹70 and ₹80 lakh a month, Kumar was reportedly persuaded to invest in the franchise. He received full support in establishing the business in Uttar Pradesh, along with a seven percent return on his ₹41 lakh investment.

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Following several meetings and emails about the Garam Dharam Dhaba franchise, Kumar was urged to set up land for the business and pay ₹63 lakh plus tax. On September 22, 2018, a letter of intent detailing the conditions of payment and business was signed. Kumar made a check payment of ₹17.70 lakh, which was cashed. The respondents never met the complaint or viewed the land, even though they bought it in November 2018. Kumar says that as a result, he was defrauded and lost money.