The Delhi Police had filed an FIR against Mahmood Farooqui on June 19 after he was accused of rape.
'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui's wife had contacted the American researcher's friend asking him to persuade the woman not to press rape charges against her husband, a Delhi court was told today.
44-year-old M Danish Husaini, a common friend of Mr Farooqui and the US national, claimed before Additional Sessions Judge, Sanjiv Jain that he was contacted by Mr Farooqui's wife Anusha Rizvi on the intervening night of June 19-20.
Mr Danish, whose statement was concluded in the court today, further said that Ms Rizvi had asked him to get in touch with the complainant and intervene so that she does not press rape charges against the film maker.
The witness, who was shown his call detail record (CDR), told the court during his cross examination that late that night he had received text messages on his mobile phone from an associate of Mr Farooqui who made him talk to Ms Rizvi.
The statement of Danish was objected to by Mr Farooqui's counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan who said it was an "afterthought" and the court should not take it on record.
However, complainant's counsel Vrinda Grover said it was not an afterthought as it was a fact which has come as evidence earlier too. After this, the court recorded the statement of Danish.
The witness, who was also shown text messages exchanged between him and the US national, denied the suggestion of the defence that they had an unusual relationship.
The court summoned the researcher's friends Jacqueline and Ashish for examination in the case tomorrow.
On September 9, the court had started the trial in the case after framing charges of rape under section 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code against Mr Farooqui, who has denied all charges against him.
The police had on June 19 lodged the FIR against Mr Farooqui on the complaint of the woman after which the film maker was arrested.
On June 29, a charge sheet was filed against Mr Farooqui alleging he had raped the 30-year-old research scholar from Colombia University at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28.