The Calcutta High Court has dismissed a 2018 criminal complaint against Bollywood actress Zareen Khan, which stemmed from her alleged refusal to perform as a guest artist at a Kali Puja event in November 2018.
The complaint, brought by Phoenix Talent Management, alleged Khan violated her contractual obligations after accepting a payment of INR12 lakh, resulting in a reported loss of INR42 crores for the agency.
The complaint charged Khan and her friends with conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, defrauding, and making threats under Sections 406, 420, 506, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A charge sheet was eventually submitted in 2023, and the matter was tried in a Sealdah trial court.
Khan contended in her defense that the situation was contractual and so did not warrant criminal charges. Justice Bibhas Ranjan De concurred, noting, “The criminal courts are not intended to be used for settling scores or pressuring parties to resolve civil disputes.” The judge further observed that a civil litigation over the identical problem was already underway in a Mumbai court.
The High Court stressed that the quarrel did not merit criminal prosecution and granted Zareen Khan’s request to dismiss the case.
Senior Advocates Ayan Bhattacherjee, Priyanka Agarwal, and Priyanka Sarkar defended Zareen Khan, while Senior Advocate Sourav Chatterjee and his colleagues represented the complainant.
The judgment concludes the five-year criminal procedures against the actress, but the civil case remains unresolved.
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