The Bombay High Court on Thursday declined to entertain social media influencer Sapna Gill’s petition seeking to quash the criminal case filed against her for allegedly attacking cricketer Prithvi Shaw’s car in Mumbai after he refused to take selfies with her. The court asserted that the allegations against her had substance and noted that it intended to review the chargesheet before making any final decision.
A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and SM Modak observed that the First Information Report (FIR) against Gill "clearly makes out some offence" and that there was "some material against you." The court advised Gill’s lawyer to consider filing a discharge application before the trial court rather than seeking outright quashing of the case. “We will not quash,” Justice Kotwal remarked during the proceedings, signaling that the matter should be decided through a trial rather than an early dismissal.
The case dates back to February 15, 2024, when Gill and her friends allegedly approached Prithvi Shaw for selfies outside a luxury hotel in Mumbai. When the cricketer declined, a heated argument reportedly broke out. According to the complaint lodged by Shaw’s friend Ashish Yadav, Gill and her group later followed Shaw, intercepted his car, vandalized the vehicle, and allegedly tried to extort Rs 50,000 from him by threatening to lodge false complaints against him.
Following the incident, Gill and several of her associates were arrested by the Mumbai Police based on Yadav’s complaint. However, she has consistently denied the allegations, claiming that she was wrongly accused and that the charges were exaggerated. In response, she has also initiated legal proceedings against Shaw and certain police officers, alleging misconduct, wrongful detention, and an attempt to malign her reputation.
In her petition before the Bombay High Court, Gill argued that she had been falsely implicated in the case and that the charges against her lacked legal merit. However, the court made it clear that it was not inclined to interfere at this stage, given the evidence available in the chargesheet.
The High Court further directed Additional Public Prosecutor JP Yagnik to provide a copy of the chargesheet for its perusal and scheduled the next hearing for April 3. During the next hearing, the court is expected to examine the detailed contents of the investigation and determine whether there is sufficient legal basis for Gill’s trial to proceed.
Meanwhile, the case has continued to draw attention, particularly due to the involvement of a well-known cricketer and a social media influencer. While Shaw has not publicly commented on the ongoing legal battle, his legal team has maintained that the allegations against Gill and her associates are supported by evidence, including CCTV footage and witness testimonies. On the other hand, Gill has claimed that the incident has caused significant damage to her career and public image.
Legal experts suggest that if the High Court ultimately refuses to quash the case, Gill may have to face trial, where the evidence against her will be scrutinized in detail. The court’s decision in the upcoming hearing could set a precedent for how such cases involving public figures and allegations of harassment, extortion, and vandalism are handled in the future.
