Calcutta High Court quashes FIR against actress Zareen Khan in 2018 cheating case

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday quashed a 2018 criminal case filed against actress Zareen Khan over her alleged failure to appear as a guest artist at a Kali Puja event in November 2018 despite a contractual obligation to do so [Zarin Momim Khan @ Zareen Khan v. State]..A talent management agency's representative had filed the criminal complaint on allegations that Khan's failure to appear for the event after taking a ₹12 lakh payment led to a loss of ₹42 crores. Justice Bibhas Ranjan De, however, observed that the matter only involved a breach of contract and did not warrant criminal proceedings. He also noted that a civil court case was already pending in the matter before a trial court in Mumbai. "This whole course of action, in my humble opinion at best can be termed to be a breach of contract for which admittedly a civil suit is pending … The criminal courts are not meant to be used for settling scores or pressurise parties to settle civil disputes," the Court held while quashing the criminal proceedings initiated in 2018 against Khan. .Criminal courts are not meant to be used for settling scores or pressurise parties to settle civil disputes.Calcutta High Court.The first information report (FIR) against Khan cited the offences under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).It was lodged on November 16, 2018 on a complaint by a representative of Phoenix Talent Management, which had paid ₹12 lakhs to Zareen Khan for her appearance as a guest artist at eight Kali Puja pandals on November 5, 2018.The agency's representative claimed that this led to a financial loss of ₹42 lakhs. He also accused the actress and her associates of issuing threats and attempting to defame him. He, therefore, filed a complaint alleging that Zareen Khan and others had conspired and failed to fulfill a contractual obligation. A chargesheet was filed in the matter in 2023 against Khan and other co-accused under Sections 406, 420, 506, and 120B of the IPC. The criminal trial was pending before a court in Sealdah. In 2022, the actress moved the High Court with a plea to quash the case. The Court yesterday allowed her plea and quashed the case..Senior Advocate Ayan Bhattacherjee and advocates Priyanka Agarwal and Priyanka Sarkar represented Zareen Khan. Senior Advocate Sourav Chatterjee and advocates Satadru Lahiri and Jyotirmoy Talukdar represented the complainant. Advocates Madhusudan Sur and Dipankar Pramanick represented the State. .[Read Order]