**Supreme Court Halts Proceedings Against Shaadi.com and Anupam Mittal**
The Supreme Court has temporarily suspended legal proceedings against the matchmaking platform Shaadi.com and Shark Tank judge Anupam Mittal in a criminal case. The case arose from a complaint alleging that Mittal’s platform failed to verify the identity of a man who reportedly used the service to defraud a woman.
A two-judge bench, consisting of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Joymalya Bagchi, issued the interim order while considering Mittal’s appeal against a previous ruling by the Telangana High Court, which had declined to dismiss the criminal charges. The bench has requested a response from the Telangana Police regarding the matter.
The complaint was filed by a woman who claimed that after signing up on Shaadi.com, she was deceived by a man who took ₹10 lakh from her under false pretenses. She alleged that he threatened to manipulate her photos and post them online when she sought repayment. Although Mittal was not initially named in the complaint, he was later included as an accused during the investigation, with allegations that both he and Shaadi.com failed to verify the man’s true identity before allowing him to interact with users.
Mittal’s legal team argued that the man had verified his account using a mobile OTP but had not provided a government ID, which was indicated on his profile. They contended that the woman chose to engage with him outside the platform of her own volition. Furthermore, Mittal asserted that Shaadi.com explicitly warns users against sharing financial information or transferring money to others, suggesting that the platform should not be held liable for the independent actions of its users.
The Telangana High Court had previously dismissed these arguments, ruling that the investigation into Mittal would proceed, as the charges involved offenses that could result in penalties of less than seven years.
**FAQ**
*What was the basis of the complaint against Shaadi.com and Anupam Mittal?*
The complaint alleged that Shaadi.com failed to verify the identity of a user who defrauded a woman, leading to significant financial loss and threats against her.
