Karnataka High Court issues stay order on arrest warrant against Robin Uthappa in EPF fraud case
Uthappa had approached the court to challenge the recovery notices and arrest warrant issued in the case.
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Former India cricketer, Robin Uthappa was accused of defrauding both employees and the government by deducting Provident Fund contributions from salaries. Uthappa is the director of Centaurus Lifestyle Brands Pvt. Ltd and the allegations also stated that the organization failed to deposit the funds into employee accounts. Subsequently, a case was filed against the former cricketer and the Karnataka High Court has issued a stay order over the issue on Tuesday, December 31.
After being accused of alleged fraud involving Employees' Provident Fund deposits, Uthappa had approached the court to challenge the recovery notices and arrest warrant issued in the case. On Tuesday, a bench led by Justice Suraj Govindaraj has temporarily halted the arrest warrant against the 39-year-old.
The company, Uthappa is associated with, allegedly owes INR 23.36 lakh in damages and the authorities are trying to recover the same from Uthappa. With the matter being brought into notice, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner Shadakshiri Gopala Reddy issued an arrest directive to the Pulakeshi Nagar Police on 4 December 2024. The Karnataka batter had issues clarification regarding the issue via a social media post on December 21.
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"When the Provident Fund authorities issued notices demanding payment of dues, my legal team responded, highlighting that I had no role in these companies and provided documentation from the companies themselves confirming my lack of involvement. Despite this, the Provident Fund authorities have continued with proceedings, and my legal advisors will take the necessary steps to resolve this matter in the coming days. I would also like to urge the media to kindly present complete facts and to verify the authenticity of information being shared," the former India cricketer said.
Uthappa has played 59 matches for India across ODI and T20I, having debuted in 2006 during the 7th match of a home series against England, which was played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. He ended his career with 946 runs in the 50-over format, while being flexible in batting position. In 13 T20Is that the Coorg-born has played, he ended the career with 249 runs. His IPL stats are much better though, having scored 4952 runs in 205 matches, representing six teams between 2008 and 2022.
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