Anurag Kashyap denies reckless' rape allegations, says he was in Sri Lanka at the time
Mumbai: Vehemently denying actor Payal Ghosh's allegations of rape against him, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Friday described them as false and reckless and said he was out of the country during the period she has mentioned in her FIR.
A statement issued by his lawyer a day after he was questioned in the case said Kashyap provided documentary proof to the police to establish the fact that he was in Sri Lanka shooting for a film in August 2013.
Versova police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Kashyap on September 22 after Ghosh alleged that he had raped her in August 2013.
"Mr. Kashyap has denied all wrongdoing in the matter and has provided his statement to the police. The material provided by Mr. Kashyap, in support of his statement, demonstrates that the complaint of Ms. Ghosh is an outright lie, said the statement by his lawyer Priyanka Khimani.
Kashyap, who was questioned by Mumbai Police for eight hours on Thursday, has said he will vigorously pursue legal remedies.
Mr. Kashyap has provided documentary proof of the fact that throughout August, 2013 he was away in Sri Lanka in connection with the shooting of one of his films. Mr. Kashyap has categorically denied that any such alleged incident ever took place and has also denied all allegations levelled against him, Khimani said in the statement.
She said the filmmaker believes the falsity of the complaint has been exposed by the ever-shifting versions of events shared by Ghosh.
Khimani said the filmmaker is distressed with the false and reckless allegations made against him that have caused pain to him, his family and his fans .
Mr. Kashyap vehemently denies any such incident, as has been alleged, and has sought for severe action against Ms. Ghosh for misusing the criminal justice system and for hijacking the Me Too Movement for her ulterior motives. Mr. Kashyap is confident that justice will prevail, the statement read.
Last month, Ghosh took to Twitter to claim that Kashyap was sexually inappropriate towards her, an allegation the director had dismissed as baseless .
Police has invoked IPC sections 376 (I) (rape), 354 (assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement) against the Gangs of Wasseypur filmmaker.
Earlier this week, Ghosh and Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale had met Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari to seek action against Kashyap.
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Ex-CJI Chandrachud removed fear of law from political defectors, claims Sanjay Raut
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, alleging that he had removed the fear of the law from politicians who defected from parties in Maharashtra.
Raut claimed that by not deciding on the disqualification petitions, Chandrachud kept doors and windows open for defections.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's statement comes after his party faced a severe drubbing in the state assembly elections, as it managed to clinch only 20 out of 95 seats it contested as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The performance of the party's alliance partners was no better, with the Congress winning only 16 out of 101 seats and NCP (SP) getting only 10 out of 86 seats it contested.
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged, "He (Chandrachud) has removed the fear of the law from defectors. His name will be written in black letters in history."
Following the split in the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022, the party's faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray filed petitions in the Supreme Court on the disqualification of party MLAs who defected along with Eknath Shinde. The apex court put the onus on the assembly Speaker to decide on the disqualification petitions, which he did earlier this year, declaring the Sena bloc led by Shinde as the “real political party”.
Raut alleged that the results of the assembly election were pre-decided. If the then CJI had decided on the disqualification petitions on time, the outcome would have been different.
"We are sad but not disappointed. We will not leave the fight incomplete. Division of votes was also a factor, and the RSS played an important role in the election. The poisonous campaign impacted us negatively," he said.
He said the swearing-in ceremony for the new government should be held in neighbouring Gujarat.
Meanwhile, in his weekly column "Rokhthok" in the party mouthpiece "Saamana", the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed that it was time to offer condolences to the Election Commission, which turned a blind eye to the use of money power.
"The courts have been in the ICU for a long time," he alleged.
