In response to a motion made by the actor, Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A. today issued an order to stay the criminal proceedings until the next hearing date.
They have filed a petition with the Kerala High Court asking that the Ernakulam Court proceedings against them be dismissed in connection with an FIR alleging them of defrauding and criminal breach of trust.
A complaint accusing Leone, Weber, and their employee Sunil Rajani of violating the conditions of a contract for a stage performance led to the filing of an FIR against them in 2019 under Sections 34, 406, and 420 of the Indian Penal Code. The case's complainant is the show's coordinator Shiyas Kunjumohammed.
The petitioners were paid around Rs. 39 Lakhs to perform stage concerts in Kerala and abroad, but they failed to do so and did not reimburse the money, the suit claims.
Through the representation of Advocates R.
According to Sanjith, Sindhu Krishna C.S., Jasmin Baby, K. Anju P.S., Suraj Krishnan, Shalu Jose, and Sidhi K Kutty, the proceedings were only a scheme to annoy the petitioners, extort money from them, and harm them financially.
According to the petitioners, the complainant is using his political clout to make false accusations against them. Additionally, it has been suggested that because the subject matter is mostly civil, the crime branch lacks jurisdiction to look into it.
The petitioners have moreover claimed that the accusations in the FIR would not be prerequisites for the offences asserted against them.
Filing a civil lawsuit before the third
The petitioners' claims that the alleged offence against them is purely civil would also be supported by the complaint filed in Additional Sub Court, Ernakulam by the complainant making identical accusations, the court has also been informed in the plea.
Additionally, the petitioners claim that they gave the organisers adequate time to transfer the funds and even agreed to the frequent date and venue changes out of a sense of corporate camaraderie, all of which resulted in significant difficulties and financial losses for the petitioners.
The grounds listed in the plea state that "it is categorically and evident that [the complainant] has failed to pay the stipulated sum and honour his share of the agreement as a result of which Leone removed herself from the stage play."
In addition, Leone and the other two petitioners claimed that by subjecting them to the drawn-out trial process while lacking any relevant or convincing evidence, they were subjected to "untold suffering, irreparable losses, and injuries."
Leone and the other two petitioners have added that they have suffered "untold misery, incalculable losses, and injuries in making them confront the drawn-out process of trial when no material or convincing evidence had been found against them."
In the current case, senior attorney P. Vijayabhanu also spoke on behalf of the petitioners.