A dispute described as civil may still require examination of alleged cheating

The petitioners argued that the dispute was civil in nature. They also relied on multiple cases based on the same facts. The complainant alleged that a refund had been credited to another person. The complainant asserted that further refund demands involved collusion. The parties therefore advanced competing accounts of the transaction. The Court recorded those submissions and the investigation outcome. The civil character allegation was not treated as the only relevant fact. The ultimate directions reflected the case’s procedural posture. Smt. Shalini Bhateja & Anr. v. The State of U.P. & Ors. | 2026 INSC 28