The Delhi high court on August 7 refused to grant producer Kumar Mangat Pathak any relief in a case of financial fraud linked to the Overseas rights of his Drishyam 2. The HC disposed of the plea filed by him to quash criminal proceedings initiated against him.
The case concerns allegations of a Rs. 4.30 crore fraud involving the Chinese-language distribution rights of the film for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The FIR, which was filed in June 2025, accuses Pathak, one Bharat Sevak and others of conspiracy, document forgery and misrepresentation.
Kumar Mangat Pathak approached the court to quash the FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi police, contending that the matter was purely commercial in nature and had been wrongly criminalised. However, Justice Neena Krishna Bansal refused to keep the petition pending or grant any interim protection. The court observed that the investigation was still in its early stages and noted that since the petitioner had already joined the probe, no interference was warranted at this point.
Delhi-based businessman Rajinder Singh Goel had alleged that he was misled into investing Rs. 4.30 crore in Drishyam 2 based on forged documents. He claimed that he was promised exclusive China distribution rights of the film through a deal presented by Bharat Sevak, who, he claimed, introduced himself as the authorised representative of Kumar Mangat Pathak’s Panorama Studios. Sevak claimed to have transferred Rs. 15.75 crore out of a total transaction value of Rs. 16.40 crore. Panorama Studios denied receiving the funds.
Kumar Mangat submitted evidence stating that any authorisation given to Bharat Sevak was limited, and had expired well before the alleged agreement. Mangat also added that Panorama Studios had issued a public notice, warning third parties against unauthorised claims made by Sevak.
