A metropolitan magistrate’s court in Andheri has closed two criminal cases related to sexual harassment allegations against actor Nana Patekar and three others. The cases were filed by actress Tanushree Dutta during the ‘Me Too’ movement.
The first FIR was registered at Oshiwara police station on October 5, 2018, followed by a second complaint five days later. Dutta had accused Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Rakesh Sarang, and production assistant Abdul Sami Abdul Gani Siddhiqui of ‘outraging and insulting her modesty’ on the sets of a Hindi film. The incidents allegedly took place in March 2008 and October 2010.
Following an investigation, Oshiwara police found no incriminating evidence against the accused and declared the complaints false. As a result, the police filed closure reports seeking to end the proceedings.
On Friday, Metropolitan Magistrate NV Bansal disposed of the first case, citing that the police had filed the closure reports beyond the period of limitation. The court noted that Dutta had lodged the FIR in 2018 under Sections 354 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) concerning an incident that allegedly occurred on March 23, 2008. As per the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the limitation period for such offences is three years.
Regarding the second incident, where specific allegations were made against Siddhiqui, the court ruled that there was no evidence of mens rea (guilty intention) on his part. Consequently, no grounds were found to proceed against him.
The closure of these cases marks the end of legal proceedings initiated by Dutta, who was among the first Bollywood actresses to speak out during the ‘Me Too’ movement in India.