The Patiala House Court in Delhi has summoned Bollywood icon Dharmendra along with two others regarding a cheating case linked to the Garam Dharam Dhaba restaurant franchise. The summons, issued on December 5, 2024, is based on a complaint from businessman Sushil Kumar, who alleges he was tricked into investing in the franchise.
According to the complaint, Kumar claims that in April 2018, a co-accused approached him on behalf of Dharmendra with an enticing offer to open a Garam Dharam Dhaba franchise in Uttar Pradesh. Kumar was reportedly told that the restaurant branches in Delhi’s Connaught Place and Haryana’s Murthal were making around Rs 70-80 lakh in monthly revenue.
Persuaded by this promise, Kumar invested Rs 41 lakh under the expectation of receiving a seven percent return. Later discussions led him to invest a total of Rs 63 lakh plus tax to secure the franchise, with a letter of intent signed on September 22, 2018. He later provided a cheque for Rs 17.70 lakh, which was cashed by the accused.
However, after the investment, Kumar claims he faced numerous obstacles in starting the business and was unable to contact the accused. He also reported being threatened when he sought updates on the project.
Judicial Magistrate Yashdeep Chahal reviewed the evidence and found sufficient grounds for the summons, noting that it suggested the accused had indeed induced Kumar into the deal with dishonest intentions. The court confirmed that the charges revolve around cheating and criminal conspiracy, among other offenses, and mandated Dharmendra and his co-accused to appear in court.
The next court hearing is set for February 20, 2025, during which the court will scrutinize the evidence in detail to assess both the strengths and weaknesses of the case. Initially, Kumar had filed a report with the Connaught Place police station, which categorized the situation as a simple breach of contract. However, after further legal review, the court opted to proceed with the summons.
