Bombay HC sentences absconding producer Gaurang Doshi to 6 months in prison

The Bombay high court has convicted producer Gaurang Doshi of contempt, and sentenced him to six months imprisonment. The producer is currently absconding, and already has a lookout notice issued against him. 

The conviction is a fallout of the case reagrding payment dispute over the film, Aankhen 2, which never went on floors. The film was initially stated to feature Amitabh Bachchan, Arshad Warsi and Regina Cassandra. However, immediately after its launch, Doshi was named in a legal dispute by Rajtaru Studios in September 2016. 

Since then, the producer has also been a part of a payment dispute over the film amounting to Rs1 crore. 

The case was filed by Scorg International Consulting Pvt. Ltd., led by advocate Hitesh Jain and Monisha Mane-Bhangale with respect to money paid to Doshi's production house, Gaurang Doshi Productions Pvt. Ltd. Reportedly, the agreement between the two parties was signed in December 2015, amounting to Rs1.25 crore by 2017. 

Justice SJ Kathawalla recently convicted Doshi's mother, Madhukanta, for contempt in the same case. However, owing to her age, Madhukanta was let off after she submitted an apology and paid a fine of Rs 2000.

Mumbai Mirror, a tabloid, quoted justice Kathawalla as saying, "He has repeatedly made false statements in court and has always disobeyed the directions of the court, including the breach of the order directing him to make a disclosure of all his assets. He is therefore not guilty of the willful breach of the order dated June 20, 2017 for the first time, but has before and after filing of the contempt petition throughout consistently shown disrespect and disregard to the court and the orders passed by it."