Bombay High Court bars Shilpa Shetty from travelling to Sri Lanka

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty has once again been stopped from leaving the country. The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused her request to travel to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a YouTube event scheduled between October 25 and 29, citing pending fraud allegations worth Rs 60 crore.

The court made it clear that Shetty must first pay the pending amount before her request for foreign travel could even be considered. The decision comes as part of a larger investigation led by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police.

The bench observed that a Lookout Circular (LOC) issued against Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra is still active, which legally prevents them from travelling abroad without explicit permission from either the court or the investigating agency.

When Shetty’s lawyer requested permission to attend the Colombo event, the court asked for a copy of the official invitation. The lawyer admitted that the invitation had only been discussed over the phone, and the written document would be issued only after travel approval.

Unimpressed by this explanation, the court refused to release the restriction and remarked that the couple should first clear the Rs 60 crore in fraud charges before requesting any travel permissions. The matter will now be heard again on October 14.