Bengaluru: A Bengaluru court recently delivered a significant verdict in the pending ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ (2014) financial fraud and forgery case against actor Rajinikanth’s wife, Latha Rajinikanth. On 27th September 2025, the 48th Additional Chief Justice rejected Latha’s petition seeking dismissal of the case, stating that “the charges in the case are established; there are grounds to prosecute the accused.”
Financial dispute over ‘Kochadaiiyaan’
The case originated from a financial dispute related to the 2014 film ‘Kochadaiiyaan’, a pioneering animated period action drama directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth and written by K.S. Ravikumar. Latha Rajinikanth was accused of failing to pay an outstanding amount to the film’s production company.
It was alleged that she attempted to obtain a ‘cake order’—a court directive to restrict media reporting—by presenting a letter from a fake organisation, further complicating the dispute.
False affidavit and forgery charges
The production company accused Latha of submitting a false affidavit in court and misleading judicial authorities. It also claimed she tried to block media coverage of the fraud case. While the civil case was dismissed on 13th December 2015 due to territorial jurisdiction issues, criminal proceedings were later initiated under Sections 196 (false evidence), 199 (false statement), and 463 (preparation of forged document) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Halasurgate police filed the chargesheet on 27th February 2021. Subsequently, the Karnataka High Court dropped some charges on 2nd August 2022, but the Supreme Court reinstated them on 10th October 2023, allowing the case to continue.
Court ruling and next steps
In the current ruling, the court has ordered that proceedings against Latha Rajinikanth continue, stating there is sufficient evidence to pursue the case. Full trial dates are yet to be scheduled, and the legal process is expected to unfold over the coming months.
About ‘Kochadaiiyaan’
‘Kochadaiiyaan’ was an animated period action drama starring Rajinikanth, with Deepika Padukone, R. Sarathkumar, Aadhi Pinisetty, and Jackie Shroff in key roles. The film, made on a budget of around ₹120 crore, was a commercial failure, though the music by A.R. Rahman was well received.