The Patiala House Court in Delhi has summoned actor Dharmendra and two others in a cheating case related to his restaurant Garam Dharam. The summon was issued on a complaint filed by a Delhi businessman who alleged cheating by luring him to invest in the franchise of Garam Dharam Dhaba.
In a complaint filed in 2018, Kumar alleged that the co-accused had approached him on behalf of Dharmendra with an offer to open a franchise of Garam Dharma Dhaba on NH-24/NH-9 in Uttar Pradesh. He alleged that he was lured to invest in the franchise on the pretext that the branches of the restaurant at Delhi's Connaught Place and Haryana's Murthal were generating a monthly turnover of approximately Rs 70 to 80 Lakh.
The complainant said he was promised that he would have to invest a sum of Rs 41 lakh against an assurance of a seven per cent profit on his investment. The complainant was also promised that he would be getting complete assistance for setting up the franchise in Uttar Pradesh. Kumar has alleged that the co-accused never returned back or contacted him after the money was transferred. He alleged receiving threats if he tried to contact them again. In a summoning order passed on December 5, the court said, "The evidence on record prima facie indicates that the accused persons induced the complainant in furtherance of their common intent and the ingredients of the offence of cheating are duly disclosed."
"Accordingly, let the accused persons at serial number 1 (Dharam Singh Deol), 2 and 3 be summoned for the commission of offences under section 420, 120B read with section 34 IPC. Let the accused persons at serial no. 2 and 3 be also summoned for the offence of criminal intimidation under section 506 of IPC," the court ordered.
The court had dismissed an application seeking a direction for registration of FIR in October 2020.