Karnataka HC allows cheating probe in ₹1.4 crore MBBS seat case
Karnataka HC refuses to quash FIR against couple accused of taking ₹1.4 crore for an MBBS seat that never materialised.
The High Court of Karnataka has declined to quash a criminal case against a couple accused of defrauding a woman of ₹1.4 crore by promising her daughter an MBBS seat in a private medical college.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna, hearing the couple's plea to dismiss the FIR, found that the allegations prima facie disclosed offences of cheating and criminal breach of trust. The court observed that the matter could not be reduced to a simple recovery of money.
The complainant stated that between February and December 2023, the accused — Shilpa A. and her husband Kiran Kumar P. — claimed to have influential contacts in private medical institutions. They allegedly assured a seat for her daughter, who had taken the NEET exam that year.
According to the complaint, the woman paid ₹35 lakh in cash initially, followed by bank transfers totalling ₹1.05 crore. Despite repeated follow-ups, no seat was secured and no refund was made, prompting the complaint in 2026.
The court rejected the argument that the dispute was purely civil, noting that a transaction founded on alleged deception does not lose its criminal character merely because money changed hands. It added that halting the probe at this stage would stifle a legitimate investigation into cognisable offences.