#MeToo: Anu Malik to step down as 'Indian Idol 10' judge
Mumbai, Oct 21: Veteran music composer Anu Malik, who is under fire for numerous allegations of sexual harassment, has been asked to step down as a judge for "Indian Idol 10".
After singers Sona Mohapatra and Shweta Pandit accused Malik of sexual harassment, two budding singers levelled similar allegations against him.
According to a source, the music director will no longer be shooting episodes of the singing reality show from Monday onwards.
"In light of the ongoing sexual harassment allegations, Anu Malik, to step down as the judge on Indian Idol. He will not be shooting any further episodes. He will not be shooting from Monday onwards," the insider said.
A lawyer for the music director Thursday denied the claims against him, saying India's #MeToo movement is being used for his client's "character assassination". Malik has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Noted lyricist Sameer Anjaan also came to Malik's defence and tweeted that he was present during the time Pandit is talking about but no such incident took place.
Malik has been one of the judges on "Indian Idol", since the show first aired in 2004.
Vishal Dadlani and Neha Kakkar are the other two judges on the panel currently of the show, which airs on Sony Entertainment Television.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
