Bollywood veteran Nana Patekar got big relief as a Mumbai court dismissed former actor Tanushree Dutta’s sexual harassment cast against him and three others, citing insufficient evidence and expired legal limitations.
For the unversed, Tanushree Dutta started the MeToo movement in India in 2018, alleging Nana Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and director Vivek Agnihotri among others, of sexual harassment during a film shoot.
In her FIRs, registered at the Oshiwara police station in Mumbai, in October 2018, Dutta accused the ‘Welcome’ actor and others of sexual abuse, during two incidents, which took place in March 2008 and October 2010.
However, police reportedly found nothing incriminating and suggested that the complaints were false while filing summary reports to close the proceedings.
In the latest development, a metropolitan magistrate’s court in Andheri closed the case on Friday and disposed of two criminal cases, relating to sexual harassment, against Patekar and others, registered by Dutta.
As reported by Indian media, magistrate NV Bansal closed the case and stated that the police had filed the closure reports beyond the period of limitation.
He noted that the FIR, filed by Dutta in 2018, under Sections 354 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), alleged the incident occurred on March 23, 2008. However, the said offence has a limitation of three years to report, as per the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Therefore, the case was subsequently closed.
