'Drishyam 2' producer Kumar Mangat Pathak granted bail by Patiala House court

Mumbai, Aug 14 (IANS) Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak has been granted anticipatory bail by the Patiala House court in Delhi with regards to an FIR lodged by Rajinder Goel.

Rajinder had alleged that he transferred money to the tune of INR 75 lacs for the dubbing of ‘Drishyam 2’ for its release in the Chinese market including China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The court found no substance in the allegations against Kumar Mangat Pathak after considering the facts, circumstances, and evidence on record. The court observed in the ledger entries that the payment made to the corporate account of Panorama Studios International Limited by Rajinder Goel was for a Gujarati film, and not for ‘Drishyam 2’

The producer’s legal team said in a statement, “It is categorically stated that Mr. Kumar Mangat Pathak on behalf and his company Panorama Studios international limited (PSIL) has never entered into any transaction or agreement with Mr. Rajinder Goel and as such, he has never invested any money with Mr. Kumar Mangat Pathak or PSIL. His allegations are false, baseless, concocted and appear to be an afterthought designed to create a misleading and malicious narrative with intentions to malign the reputation of Kumar Mangat Pathak and PSIL. It is further clarified that any dealings , transactions done by Mr. Rajinder Goel were solely with a third party and not with Mr. Kumar Mangat Pathak or his company. Any attempt to link Mr. Kumar Mangat Pathak to such transactions is wholly unfounded and malicious”.

Following the bail, Kumar Mangat Pathak has instructed his legal team to initiate a INR 100 crore defamation suit against Rajinder Goel.

The producer’s advocate, Vineet Dhanda said, “We also urge members of the press to act with responsibility and refrain from publishing or circulating unverified and false narratives that can cause unwarranted harm to Mr. Pathak’s reputation and standing in the film industry”.

“The legal team will take all necessary steps, including legal proceedings, against any individual or entity found propagating such falsehoods”, he added.

--IANS

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