The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday ordered a temporary stay on an arrest warrant issued against former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa in connection with an alleged fraud related to Employees’ Provident Fund deposits, Bar and Bench reported.

A vacation bench headed by Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the order on a petition filed by Uthappa demanding that recovery notices and an arrest warrant against him be quashed.

The case is related to the functioning of a private firm, Centaurus Lifestyle Brands, where Uthappa served as a director between 2018 and 2020.

An initial notice issued to Uthappa by the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner and Recovery Officer claimed that Centaurus Lifestyle had been deducting contributions from their employees’ salaries to the fund but not depositing it into their accounts.

The company allegedly owed Rs 23.36 lakh in damages and the authorities were seeking to recover the amount from the former cricketer, NDTV reported.

On December 4, the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner directed the Bengaluru Police to execute an arrest warrant against Uthappa, which was issued on December 21.

On Tuesday, Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi, representing Uthappa, told the court that the former cricketer formally resigned from his position as the director of Centaurus Lifestyle in May 2020, according to Bar and Bench.

Navadgi added that Uthappa was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company even when he was its director.

The former cricketer also told the authorities on December 22 that he was no longer a director and was not involved in the operations of the company, Navadgi said, adding that he therefore could not be considered an “employer” under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act.

Subsequently, the court granted interim protection to Uthappa by staying the arrest warrant and the proceedings in the case.