Mumbai Police Shuts Forgery Case Against Actor Shweta Tiwari, Bombay High Court Permits Her To Withdraw Plea To Quash FIR

The Mumbai Police last month informed the Bombay High Court that it has shut the 'forgery' case against TV actor Shweta Tiwari, lodged by her estranged husband Abhinav Kohli in 2021.

A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Dr Neela Gokhale permitted Tiwari to withdraw her writ petition before the High Court, by virtue of which the silver screen actor had sought to quash the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against her by Kohli.

On December 18, when the matter was called out, Additional Public Prosecutor Manisha Mhatre produced a report dated December 17, 2024, in which it was stated that the investigating agency after its probe, filed an 'A-Summary Report' before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Bandra.

Therefore, senior counsel S Purohit, who represented Tiwari, informed the judges that they do not want to press the instant petition and thus sought permission to withdraw the same. However, Kohli, who appeared as a party-in-person, informed the judges that he is in the process of filing a Protest Petition challenging the 'A-Summary Report' filed before the Magistrate Court in Bandra.

"In view of this position, the Petition is allowed to be withdrawn. However, it is made clear that both the parties would be at liberty to take out appropriate legal proceedings in accordance with law if an order, adverse to either of the parties, is passed. It is also made clear that with disposal of this Petition all the interim and ad-interim orders passed in this Writ Petition merge with this final order and do not survive," the judges said in the order passed on December 18 but made available this week. 

Notably, Tiwari was booked by the Bandra-Kurla-Complex (BKC) Police Station in Mumbai on a complaint lodged by Kohli on March 1, 2021 claiming that the actor 'forged' his signatures on the 'no objection certificate' (NOC) that she submitted to the authorities in United Kingdom in 2017, for seeking their minor son's visa.

According to the petition, Tiwari had applied for a visa for her son since she wanted to consult doctors in the UK for her son's physiotherapy. However, since she was traveling alone (without the father of the child), she was asked to submit an NOC from Kohli. It is Kohli's case, that for this NOC, she forged his signatures and took the child to UK. He however, upon learning the same, wrote to the Embassy in UK about the same and the visa was cancelled. 

And subsequently, in March 2021, after disputes arose between the couple, Kohli lodged the present FIR. However, on December 17, 2024, the Mumbai Police informed the HC bench that it could not find any evidence against Tiwari and thus, filed an A Summary report and closed the case. 

Taking the same report on record, the bench permitted Tiwari to withdraw her plea. 

Appearance:

Senior Advocate S Purohit along with Advocate Chaval Patil and Sapna Sharma, instructed by K Ashar Co. appeared for Tiwari.

Abhinav Kohli appeared as party-in-person.

Additional Public Prosecutor Manisha Mhatre represented the State.

Case Title: Shweta Tiwari vs State of Maharashtra (Criminal Writ Petition 5691 of 2021)

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Bom) 3

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