The Delhi High Court has held Reliance Entertainment and its executives guilty of contempt for failing to comply with earlier court orders in its financial dispute with T-Series. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora ruled that the company had willfully disregarded previous directions, which required Super Cassettes Industries Pvt Ltd, which operates the T-Series brand, to deposit the outstanding payments.
Delhi High Court warns of sending Reliance Entertainment executives to jail in Rs 168 crore dispute with T-Series
The court ordered three representatives of the company to undergo four weeks’ simple imprisonment if they did not pay the dues within two weeks.
The bench suspended the jail sentence for two weeks to give Reliance Entertainment a chance to resolve the matter. However, the officers have been directed to appear before the Joint Registrar on March 16, 2026 and furnish a surety bond of Rs 1 lakh along with a surety amount of the same amount.
The court said that if the payment is made within two weeks, the jail sentence will be waived and the bail bond will be discharged.
The case stems from a loan agreement signed in 2021, under which T-Series had given a loan of Rs 168 crore to Reliance Entertainment to partially finance six films. According to the agreement, the music label was also entitled to a 12.5 percent interest along with a share of the revenue generated from the projects.
Subsequently, T-Series approached the court to recover approximately Rs 60 crore, accusing Reliance Entertainment of defaulting in repayments. During the previous hearing in November and December 2023, the high court had directed Reliance Entertainment to disclose its receipts and deposits sanctioned amounts. These include Rs 7.42 crore expected from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and Rs 2.32 crore related to revenues from films. IB-71 And gullible.
Court commented on delay in payment
After reviewing the case, Justice Arora found that Reliance Entertainment failed to comply with the directions within the two-week deadline set by the court in December 2023. While the company eventually deposited Rs 2.32 crore in May 2025, the court held that the delay amounted to deliberate non-compliance of its orders.
The bench also said that out of Rs 7.42 crore received from Zee Entertainment, only Rs 4.29 crore has been received, leaving an outstanding shortfall of Rs 3.13 crore. As a result, the court directed the company and its officials to deposit the remaining amount along with applicable interest within two weeks. If payment is made within the stipulated time, the punishment will be cancelled. Otherwise, the three officers would have to serve a four-week jail sentence, the court said.
