Delhi HC Quashes Lookout Circular Against BharatPe's Ashneer Grover and Wife

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has canceled lookout circular (LOC) issued against Ashneer Grover, former MD of BharatPe, and his wife Mhuri Jain Grover, citing that FIR filed against m for cheating and forgery has alrey been quashed.

Justice Sanjeev Narula issued order on Monday after court was informed that ar bench h quashed FIR on same day.

FIR was quashed by Justice Chandra Dhari Singh after Grovers filed a plea stating y h reached a settlement with fintech company.

“Although copy of order (quashing FIR) is t available as of w, aforeted fact is t disputed by counsel for parties.” Justice Narula said in his order.

"In light of fact that underlying FIR has been quashed, LOC issued by respondent . 3 (Bureau of Immigration), in opinion of court, will t survive." LOC was issued by Bureau of Immigration at instance of Delhi Police's Ecomic Offences Wing (EOW) in view of investigation against Grovers in cheating and forgery FIR.

court was hearing a plea moved by Grover and his wife Mhuri Jain Grover seeking quashing of LOC issued against m in connection with investigation into cheating and forgery case.

"Accordingly, present petitions are disposed of with a direction to respondents to cancel LOC against petitioners in ir records," court ted.

Earlier, Grovers claimed that y were informed about LOC for first time when y were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport here on vember 16, 2023, while y were scheduled to travel to US.

After being detained, y were informed that LOC was operational from vember 6, 2023.

In May last year, EOW filed an FIR against Grover, his wife Mhuri, and ors under eight sections of Indian Penal Code, including 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 467 and 468 (forgery), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) for an alleged Rs 81 crore fraud after a complaint was lodged by BhartPe, fintech unicorn.

In its complaint, BharatPe alleged that Grover and his family caused dams to tune of Rs 81.3 crore through illegitimate payments to bogus human resource consultants, inflated and undue payments through pass-through vendors connected to accused, sham transactions in input tax credit and payment of penalty to GST authorities, illegal payment to travel ncies, forged invoices by Mhuri, and destruction of evidence.

Mhuri was he of controls at BharatPe before she was fired in 2022 after a forensic audit revealed several irregularities.

Subsequently, Grover resigned as chief executive officer of fintech firm in March 2022.

(with ncy inputs)