Mumbai Sessions Court Clears Sunny Leone in Over Rs 70 Lakh Film Commission Dispute Case

A sessions court in Mumbai has dismissed a criminal revision plea against actor Sunny Leone, whose real name is Karenjit Kaur Vohra, her husband Daniel Weber, and their manager Sunny Rajani. The plea concerned a dispute over an alleged unpaid commission of more than Rs 70 lakh for a Telugu film.

The court held that a commercial breach cannot be treated as a criminal offence unless a fraudulent or dishonest intention existed from the very beginning of the engagement.

The complainant, Omprakash Jain, had approached the sessions court after a magistrate's court dismissed his private complaint in 2024. Jain had alleged offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and criminal intimidation against the actor and her team.

According to Jain's complaint, Sunny Leone was cast in the Telugu film through his efforts. He stated that there was an understanding that the accused would pay him a 10% incentive from the Rs 1.75 crore total consideration connected with the film engagement. However, Jain claimed that he received only part of the agreed payment.

The complaint outlined that after Leone received an initial payment of Rs 35 lakh, Jain was paid Rs 1.75 lakh on November 26, 2000. He further stated that an additional Rs 3.5 lakh was paid to him on July 20, 2022. Jain claimed that the remaining balance of Rs 70 lakh and the corresponding 10% incentive were withheld.

Court records indicated that Jain had previously sought an inquiry into the matter through the magistrate's court. On December 6, 2023, the magistrate declined to direct a police investigation into the matter and instead instructed the complainant to proceed with verification under Section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, before ultimately dismissing the private complaint in 2024.