In a courtroom moment fit for a legal thriller, the Bombay High Court lashed out at a police inspector for dragging an imposter into court and passing him off as the complainant in a case targeting Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.
The bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad was left visibly disturbed after Inspector Prafull Wagh of the Nodal Cyber Police Station presented one Mahendra Sanjay Sharma, claiming he was “Sunil Sharma,” the original complainant in the case. But the court wasn’t buying it—not for a second.
“To say the least, our judicial conscience is shocked,” the bench said, making no attempt to sugarcoat its displeasure. It found the impersonation attempt glaringly obvious. The signatures on file didn’t match. Not one. Mahendra tried three different versions of his signature in open court. None aligned with the original.
The case stems from Zee’s petition challenging a police notice that sought to block the airing of their show Tum Se Tum Tak. But when Zee attempted to trace the complainant, they hit a dead end—there was no Sunil Sharma at the listed address. That raised eyebrows, and soon, the High Court was asking questions.
The Court ordered Inspector Wagh to bring in the real complainant—armed with Aadhaar, voter ID, and proof of address. Instead, he brought Mahendra, who confidently stepped forward as Sunil Sharma. But scrutiny revealed cracks in the story. The documents he carried showed different addresses, and worse, the complaint bore another man’s name and signature.
Despite Mahendra’s legal team insisting he was the true complainant, the Court found otherwise. It sharply warned against such attempts to “hoodwink” the judiciary and hinted at serious consequences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, especially for presenting false evidence.
“This isn’t just carelessness—it’s a calculated attempt to mislead,” the judges observed, hinting that penal action was on the table.
Both Inspector Wagh and Mahendra Sharma have been ordered to submit affidavits before July 24, explaining themselves. The courtroom spotlight will return on July 28 at 3 PM.
The legal teams appeared in full force: Senior Advocate Sanjog Parab and others represented Zee, while the State was represented by the Additional Public Prosecutor. Mahendra Sharma was backed by Advocates Veer Kankaria and Gaurav Shukla.
The stage is set for the next round—and this time, the Court won’t tolerate any more masquerades.
