Delhi HC refuses interim relief for Drishyam 2's producer in alleged fraud case

Given that the investigation is still in its early phases and that the petitioner has been assisting authorities, Justice Neena Krishna Bansal decided against awarding relief.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to quash an FIR filed against Drishyam 2 producer Kumar Mangat Pathak in connection with an alleged fraud case involving the film’s distribution rights.

Given that the investigation is still in its early phases and that the petitioner has been assisting authorities, Justice Neena Krishna Bansal decided against awarding relief. The judge declared, "There is no need to intervene at this point."

Pathak, a director at Panorama Studios International Ltd., had petitioned the court to have the FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) quashed. There are accusations of criminal conspiracy and cheating in this case. Pathak's attorney contended in the petition that his reputation would be irreparably harmed by coercive measures, including interrogation while in custody.

Pathak and others are charged in the June 2025 FIR with conspiring to falsify documents and misrepresent rights.

A businessman from Delhi filed the complaint, claiming he was duped into paying Rs 4.3 crore for what he thought were the exclusive rights to distribute Drishyam 2 in Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

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The complainant claims that Bharat Sevak, who identified himself as an authorised representative of Panorama Studios, mediated the deal. Sevak allegedly asserted that, of the Rs 16.40 crore total deal value, Rs 15.75 crore had been transferred. Panorama Studios, however, has denied ever getting these monies.

Drishyam 2, released in 2022, was directed by Abhishek Pathak—Kumar Mangat’s son—and is a Hindi remake of the original Malayalam film starring Mohanlal. The Hindi version featured a star-studded cast including Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav, and Rajat Kapoor.