Actor Sonali Bendre and her husband Goldie Behl have been accused of fraud in connection with a land deal in Maval, Pune. They have also been accused of violating regulations in a case involving approximately 30 guntas of land in the district.
Sonali Bendre accused of fraud
The complainants – Chandrakant Balu Shinde (50) and his mother Kamalbai (75) – claim that the celebrity couple was using their social influence and taking help of the local police to forcibly take possession of their 30 `guntha` (over 32,000 square feet) of land in Uksan village in Maval taluka of the district. The suit was filed against the celebrity couple and two others through advocate Vanraj Shinde last month before a civil court at Vadgaon Maval. The matter will next be heard on April 24.
As per the suit, the Shinde family has been cultivating the land as “protected tenants” since the 1940s. The family alleged that their names were illegally removed from revenue records in the 1980s without a notice.
The dispute began when the original owners allegedly sold the land to a local individual in 2012, who subsequently sold a portion of it to Goldie Behl in March 2021.
The aggrieved mother-son duo claimed these sales were “illegal and void” because their pre-existing tenancy rights were never legally terminated.
The plaintiffs have also made claims of intimidation and police bias.
The Shinde family alleged that on December 14, 2025, Sonali Bendre and Goldie Behl arrived at the site with workers and heavy machinery to begin unauthorised construction.
When Kamalbai tried to stop the work, she was allegedly met with threats. The police officers at the site also threatened to frame the mother-son duo in false theft cases if they continued to “harass” the celebrity couple, the lawsuit claimed.
Sonali Bendre reacts
Meanwhile, Sonali Bendre and her legal team have denied the allegations. She stated that her name does not appear in any government documents or land sale-purchase records related to the property.
“These allegations are entirely baseless and have been levelled solely with the motive of extorting money,” the actor said.
Her lawyer reportedly added that the farmer had previously filed multiple appeals with various government departments, which were dismissed each time.
Chandrakant Shinde has named Sonali Bendre, Goldie Behl, and two other individuals as parties in the case. The court has listed April 20 as the next date of hearing.
(with inputs from PTI)
