Supreme Court Directs Telangana HC To Reconsider Shaadi.com Founder Anupam Mittal’s Plea
The case stems from a Hyderabad woman's allegation that she was defrauded of Rs 11 lakh by a man who used a fake profile on shaadi.com and that the platform failed to properly verify user details
Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Telangana High Court to reconsider the plea filed by shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal seeking quashing of criminal proceedings initiated against him in connection with an alleged matrimonial fraud case. A bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N.V. Anjaria observed that the High Court, while refusing relief earlier, had not examined the merits of Mittal’s contentions and had merely noted that the offences carried punishment of less than seven years, permitting continuation of investigation.
The Supreme Court clarified that it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the case but emphasised the need for the High Court to independently assess whether the allegations disclosed a prima facie case against Mittal. The bench also expressed concern over increasing instances of fraud through online matrimonial platforms and observed that such platforms were facilitating the frauds.
The case arose from a complaint filed by a Hyderabad-based doctor, who alleged that an individual identified as Vamshi Krishna had created a fake profile on shaadi.com, misrepresented his identity as MLA of Yanam, and cheated her of about Rs 11 lakh before issuing threats. Police subsequently registered an FIR naming the alleged fraudster along with Mittal and other company officials. Earlier, Krishna had been involved in duping other women by using the platform.
