Weinstein released on $1 mn bail over rape, abuse charges
New York, May 26: Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein has been released on $1 million bail after being charged with rape and sexual abuse.
Weinstein, 66, also agreed to wear a GPS tracker and to surrender his passport after turning himself in to police on Friday, reports bbc.com.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of first- and third-degree rape and committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree at his arraignment.
More than 70 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct although the charges relate to only two of them. Some allegations date back decades.
Prosecutors said on Friday that Weinstein had been charged with two counts of rape and one count of a criminal sexual act involving two women, who were not identified.
Witnesses said Weinstein appeared pale and stared into space while prosecutors outlined the bail agreement. The case was adjourned until July 30.
Outside the court, Weinstein's lawyer, Ben Brafman, told reporters his client would enter a not guilty plea. "We intend to move very quickly to dismiss these charges. We believe that they are constitutionally flawed. We believe that they are not factually supported by the evidence," he said.
The New York Police Department issued a statement thanking "these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice".
The identity of one of the women whose accusations prompted the charges was confirmed by her lawyer on Friday. Former actress Lucia Evans had already publicly accused Weinstein of forcing her into oral sex in 2004.
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BJP using women's quota bill as front to pass Delimitation Bill that will break India: Mamata
Cooch Behar (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law in Parliament as a front for the Delimitation Bill that would "break the country into pieces".
The TMC will fight this Central government's move at every step, she asserted at her party's poll rally here.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to tweak the women's quota law, along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, to implement the proposed amended women's quota law, in the Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
According to the Constitution amendment bill, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats will also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Opposing the Centre's move, Banerjee alleged that "the BJP brought the Delimitation Bill while keeping the women's reservation bill at the front".
"The BJP is trying to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to nearly 850 through the Delimitation Bill. It will break the country into pieces," the TMC supremo said.
She also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not speaking the truth about the development of north Bengal at a BJP rally last week.
"The prime minister said nothing was done for the development of north Bengal. But we spent Rs 1.72 lakh crore on the development of the region," Banerjee said and asked Modi to cross-check data before making such remarks.
