SC grants Shaadi.com founder protection from arrest in fraud case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted Anupam Mittal , founder of shaadi.com , and two others protection from arrest for two weeks in a case involving alleged online fraud. The apex court set aside a Telangana High Court order that had refused to quash proceedings against Mittal and asked the High Court to reconsider the matter on its merits.

The case stems from a complaint by a Hyderabad woman who alleged that she was defrauded of Rs 11 lakh by a man using a fake profile on shaadi.com. She claimed the platform failed to properly verify user details, allowing the fraud to take place. FIRs were registered against Mittal and two others, Vignesh and Satish , naming them as accused.

A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria clarified that the Supreme Court had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case. "Since the quashing petition has not been decided on merits, we set aside the impugned order and remit the matter to the High Court for consideration. In the meanwhile, the petitioner may approach the High Court for interim relief. No coercive action shall be taken against the petitioner for eight weeks from today," the court said.

Mittal’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Atmaram Nadkarni , told the court that shaadi.com is merely a matchmaking platform and that Mittal had no role in the alleged fraud. “We are cooperating fully with the investigation. Why am I being treated as an accused?” Nadkarni asked.

The Telangana High Court had last year declined to quash the FIRs against Mittal and his associates, prompting the founder to approach the Supreme Court. On June 26, 2025, the top court had issued notice to the Telangana government and stayed all proceedings temporarily.

With the Supreme Court’s latest order, Mittal and the others have temporary protection from arrest while the High Court reconsiders the case. The decision ensures that no immediate coercive steps are taken against them until the matter is decided on its merits.