In June 2018, fashion stylist Neeru Randhawa filed a case of assault against her then-boyfriend, Armaan Kohli. The actor was arrested in Lonavala on June 12 of the same year. She eventually withdrew her complaint following a mutual settlement with Armaan being asked to pay her rupees one crore. While the actor paid her an amount of Rs. 50 lakh immediately, Neeru was issued cheques for the remaining Rs. 50 lakh to be encashed a few months later. However, the cheques bounced, and she had to approach the court again.

Last week, the Bombay High Court ordered Armaan to pay the remaining Rs. 50 lakh to Neeru. She says, “The case has been going on since 2018, and I understand that legal proceedings take a while. I am glad the truth prevailed, and that the verdict has come in my favour. The court ordered Armaan to clear the remaining payment by today or he will be jailed.”

She adds, “Since I am a British citizen and was shuttling between London and India, it wasn’t practical for me to keep coming here for the case. That was why I withdrew the case along with the fact that Armaan’s family pleaded with me to forgive their son. I even got an apology letter from him, which was recorded in the High Court. The amount that was agreed upon was a crore. The post-dated cheques amounting to Rs. 50 lakh given to me, bounced, so I had no choice, but to seek legal recourse.”

Neeru hasn’t been in touch with Armaan or his family since then. She says, “There has been no contact between us. I sought justice for my sanity and to set an example for other women to fight back.”

Armaan didn’t respond to our calls and text messages.

Armaan met Neeru, a fashion stylist, through a common friend in Dubai in 2015 and offered her to work with him for the film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. Neeru recalls, “Since I knew nobody in Mumbai, I stayed at his house. Within a few months, he told me he really liked me and so did his parents. We started seeing each other, however, the relationship ended owing to physical abuse on multiple occasions. The last time it happened, I was injured and had to be hospitalized. That is when I decided to walk out of the relationship.”

On the personal front, Neeru is single. She says, “Such incidents take a toll. I was like family to him; his family loved me, and so did I. I gave the relationship my 100 per cent. The experience taught me that I can’t change someone. So, it’s ideal to love yourself and walk away.”