Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Hyundai execs named in Rajasthan fraud case over alleged vehicle defects
Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, along with Hyundai officials, face a fraud case in Rajasthan over alleged defects in a vehicle, highlighting celebrity endorsement liability.
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Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, along with six Hyundai executives, have been named in a first information report, in Rajasthan over allegations of fraud connected to the promotion of a vehicle said to have manufacturing defects, as per reports.
The case originates from a complaint filed by a local resident, who claimed that his Hyundai Alcazar SUV, purchased in 2022, developed major technical problems within months, and that repeated attempts to resolve the issues with the dealership went unheeded.
According to the complaint, filed by Bharatpur resident Kirti Singh, he purchased the SUV in June 2022 for ₹23,97,353 from Malwa Auto Sales Private Limited in Kundli, Haryana. Singh alleged that within six to seven months, the vehicle began exhibiting recurring faults. “After driving the car for 6-7 months, technical faults started appearing. It would make noise and vibrate when driven at high speeds. The car shows malfunction signs on the engine management system,” he said in the complaint, reports stated. Singh further claimed that when he approached the dealership, he was told the issues were inherent to the car model and could not be resolved, suggesting a manufacturing defect.
After Hyundai and the dealership declined to repair or replace the vehicle, a fraud case was filed against the automaker, the dealership, and brand ambassadors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, alleging that they promoted a defective product.
Singh initially approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court No. 2 in Bharatpur by filing a private complaint. The court directed the Mathura Gate police station to register a formal case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, which addresses cheating, among other provisions. Acting on the court’s order, police registered the FIR and have begun an investigation.
Shah Rukh Khan has been associated with Hyundai since 1998, serving as one of the company’s most visible brand ambassadors. Deepika Padukone joined the automaker in December 2023, and the two actors appeared together in a Hyundai advertisement last year. The FIR raises questions about the liability of celebrity endorsers, an issue highlighted by a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that made promoters responsible for misleading advertisements. Neither Shah Rukh Khan nor Deepika Padukone has publicly commented on the complaint or the case.
