The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday temporarily stayed the arrest warrant against former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa in connection with an alleged Provident Fund (PF) fraud case.

A Vacation Bench, led by Justice Suraj Govindaraj, granted interim protection to Uthappa, halting the execution of the arrest warrant and all related proceedings.

The court's order came after Uthappa sought the quashing of recovery notices and the arrest warrant issued against him in the case.

On December 4, the Regional PF Commissioner and Recovery Officer directed Bengaluru police to execute the arrest warrant against Uthappa, which was subsequently issued on December 21.

The issue stems from Uthappa's involvement with Centaurus Lifestyle Brands, a private firm where he served as a director from 2018 to 2020. According to the initial notice from the Regional PF authorities, the company had deducted PF contributions from employees' salaries but failed to deposit the funds into their accounts, resulting in a dues of approximately ₹23.36 lakh.

However, Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi, representing Uthappa, argued that his client had formally resigned as the company's director in May 2020. Navadgi further clarified that Uthappa was not involved in the company’s day-to-day operations as per his contract with the firm’s founder, Krishnadas Thandanand Havade.

Navadgi also informed the court that Uthappa had communicated to the authorities on December 22, 2024, that he no longer held the director position and had no involvement in the company’s management or operations. Therefore, he could not be deemed an “employer” under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act (EPF Act).

Senior Advocates Prabhuling Navadgi, Chintan Chinappa, Sushant Belvet, and Venkatesh Kamath appeared on behalf of Robin Uthappa, the petitioner in the case.