When a Moradabad court issued a non-bailable warrant against Ameesha Patel on February 15, 2026, most outlets ran a reactive brief and moved on. What that framing missed was a legal trail spanning three courts, four cities, and nearly a decade — ranging from a ₹4.50 lakh bounced cheque to a ₹2.5 crore financial fraud complaint. The Moradabad warrant is not a bolt from the blue. It is the latest entry in a pattern that has followed Ameesha Patel even through her remarkable career comeback.
What Is a Non-Bailable Warrant?
A non-bailable warrant (NBW) means the accused cannot secure bail at the police station level as a matter of right — they must be produced before a judge, who then decides on bail. Courts issue NBWs only after summons and bailable warrants have been repeatedly ignored, making it a signal of judicial frustration rather than a verdict on guilt. Ameesha’s lawyer Abhishek Sharma has confirmed she will appear before the Moradabad court on March 27, 2026, which would neutralise the warrant without any arrest.
Case One: The Moradabad Wedding Dispute (2017–Present) Active
Event organiser Pawan Verma, owner of a Moradabad-based company, alleged that Ameesha was contracted to perform at a wedding for Ayush Agrawal on November 16, 2017, with an advance of ₹14.50 lakh paid and hotel accommodation arranged on Delhi Road. She did not show up. One account further alleges she travelled from Mumbai to Delhi, demanded an additional ₹2 lakh in cash, and left when it was refused. Verma told the court that ₹10 lakh was returned in cash, but a cheque of ₹4.50 lakh bounced. A separate cheque of ₹2 lakh also reportedly bounced.
The Moradabad ACJM-5 court charged Ameesha under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 504 (insult), and 506 (criminal intimidation) — criminal provisions carrying the possibility of imprisonment. Others named include Suresh Kumar, Rajkumar Goswami, and Ahmad Sharif. Ameesha had previously appeared and secured bail, but alleged non-compliance with bail conditions prompted the fresh NBW.
Ameesha’s response, posted on Instagram, was direct: “This is a very old matter in which the said Pawan Verma had signed a settlement deed and received the entire agreed amount. My lawyers are initiating appropriate criminal proceedings of cheating against this person to expose his lies.” Her counsel Abhishek Sharma echoed this, stating the full amount was repaid and the complainant was misusing the legal process.
Case Two: The Bhopal–UTF Telefilms Dispute (2021) Status Unclear
In November 2021, a Bhopal court issued a bailable warrant against Ameesha after UTF Telefilms Private Limited alleged that she and her company, M/S Ameesha Patel Production, had borrowed ₹32.25 lakh for a film and issued two cheques that were subsequently dishonoured. Advocate Ravi Panth warned that the bailable warrant could escalate to a non-bailable one if she failed to appear at the December 4, 2021, hearing. Around the same period, a separate cheque bounce case was filed in Indore, where a cheque of ₹10 lakh — allegedly taken from resident Nisha Chhipa in the name of film production — was dishonoured.
Case Three: The Ranchi ₹2.5 Crore Case (2018–2024) Resolved
The most financially significant dispute originated in 2018. Businessman Ajay Kumar Singh of Lovely World Entertainment invested ₹2.5 crore in a film titled Desi Magic after meeting Ameesha at an event in Ranchi. The film was never made. When Singh demanded his money back, Ameesha issued a cheque for the full ₹2.5 crore — which bounced. The case wound through the Jharkhand courts for five years. The Jharkhand High Court eventually dismissed her exemption petition and directed her to surrender, which she did on June 17, 2023, before the Ranchi Civil Court. Bail was granted on two bonds of ₹10,000 each. The case was formally disposed of on September 27, 2024, after she paid the entire amount to the complainant — the only one of her three known major disputes to reach a definitive court closure.
The Pattern and Career Context
Across all three cases the structure is the same: entertainment industry money (performance fees or film financing) is not delivered; a cheque is issued to resolve the matter; the cheque bounces; private resolution fails; courts are approached. Under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, a dishonoured cheque is a criminal offence punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of double the amount — and Indian courts have grown markedly firmer on personal appearance requirements for repeat instances.
The timing is particularly pointed for Ameesha. After a five-year hiatus, she returned to the screen with Gadar 2 (2023) alongside Sunny Deol and Utkarsh Sharma — a commercial phenomenon that grossed ₹686 crore worldwide. Her most recent release, Tauba Tera Jalwa (2024), drew mixed reviews but individual praise for her performance. Discussions about Gadar 3 and Humraaz 2 have circulated, though no next project has been officially confirmed.
The March 27 Moradabad hearing is the next significant date. If Ameesha appears as expected and her settlement claim holds legal weight, the case could move toward resolution. If not, an already complicated record gets another chapter.
For the full breakdown of today’s Moradabad warrant and Ameesha’s Instagram response, read: [Ameesha Patel Faces Non-Bailable Warrant From Moradabad Court — Calls It a “False Allegation”]
