Actor Shilpa Shetty on Thursday firmly denied reports that an Income‑Tax raid had been carried out against her.
Her lawyer, Advocate Prashant Patil, has now issued a statement saying, “On behalf of my client, Mrs. Shilpa Shetty Kundra, I can confirm that there is no Income‑Tax ‘raid’ of whatsoever nature against my client. There is only a routine verification by the Income‑Tax officials pertaining to follow‑up with my client, Mrs. Shilpa Shetty Kundra.”
He warned that anyone who links the matter to any other investigation will face legal consequences, adding, “Whomsoever has mischievously claimed in the public domain that these developments have anything to do with the alleged Economic Offence Wing case shall face legal consequences before the appropriate court of law. At the cost of repetition, my client, Mrs. Shilpa Shetty Kundra, states that there is no Income‑Tax ‘raid’ at her place.”
What is the real matter?
The clarification came amid reports that Income‑Tax searches were underway on entities owned or operated by Shilpa Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, across multiple cities—including Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. Sources said the focus of the searches was Bastian Hospitality, the company that runs Bastian‑branded clubs in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Goa. Earlier reports indicated that officials had carried out searches at some outlets and at the residences of the promoters, beginning on Wednesday, in connection with a case linked to Bastian Garden City in Bengaluru.
These developments followed action by Bengaluru police, who recently registered cases against two pubs—including Bastian Garden City, which is co‑owned by Shilpa Shetty—for allegedly operating beyond permitted hours. Bastian Pub was founded by Bastian Hospitality, owned by businessman Ranjit Bindra, with Shetty acquiring a 50 percent stake in the venture in 2019.
Shilpa issues a statement
Shilpa Shetty has denied all allegations related to the case, describing them as baseless. In an earlier statement, she said a petition challenging the proceedings had already been filed before the High Court and is awaiting adjudication.
She added, “Having fully cooperated with the investigation, we are sanguine that justice will prevail and have complete faith in the law‑enforcement authorities and the judicial system of our country. We respectfully urge the media to exercise restraint as the matter is sub judice.” The police action against the pubs followed the circulation of CCTV footage showing a late‑night incident at Bastian Pub around 1:30 a.m. on December 11, in which two groups of patrons were seen arguing, though no serious physical violence was reported. Authorities also booked Sourberry Pub on Residency Road after videos suggested both venues were functioning beyond permitted hours. Further details on the investigations are awaited.
