Bollywood producer Karim Morani allegedly raped and threatened the aspiring actor.
There is enough evidence against Bollywood producer Karim Morani in the
rape case involving a 25-year-old aspiring actor, the Telangana Police told the Supreme Court today. The film producer, who is out on bail, has been asked by the top Court to file his response within three weeks to a plea seeking cancellation of his bail.
A management student from Delhi, who had wanted to act in films, alleged that Morani abused her on several occasions in Mumbai and at a film studio on the outskirts of Hyderabad between 2015 and 2016. She alleged that he first violated her in Mumbai after drugging her and the exploitation continued for over a year. She was threatened with elimination by the underworld and that her pictures, possibly taken during the alleged assaults, would be circulated, she claimed in her petition.
The woman filed a complaint in Hyderabad's Rachakonda in January last year. The police have registered a case against Morani for rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage, and cheating.
The sessions court in Telangana had initially granted anticipatory bail to Mr Morani on January 30, but later cancelled it after being informed that the producer had concealed in his bail plea his involvement in the 2G case and the fact that he was in jail in connection with it. The Hyderabad High Court as well as the Supreme Court later upheld the lower court's order to cancel his anticipatory bail. Morani
surrendered in September.
Morani, however, was granted regular bail by the Hyderabad High Court for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in November last year.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said if Morani does not file his response within three weeks, his right to file the reply "shall stand extinguished".
The bench, which also comprised Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, posted the matter for final hearing on May 8.
The victim's lawyer told the Supreme Court that despite notice to Morani in February, he hasn't responded, but Morani's lawyers termed the entire case bogus and asked for time to file their reply.
Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Morani, assured the bench they would file their reply.