Kashyap and Motwane were seated inside the courtroom, Bahl was seen outside, pacing up and down during most of the proceedings of the day.
Arguments and counter-arguments dominated the hearing of Vikas Bahl’s Rs 10 crore defamation case against Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday (October 23). The Queen director has sued his former partners and co-founders of Phantom Films (now dissolved) for the allegations they have made in the media and is also seeking an injunction restraining them from defaming him in the press and on social media. The case is being heard by a single bench of Justice SJ Kathawalla.
While Kashyap and Motwane were seated inside the courtroom, Bahl was seen outside, pacing up and down during most of the proceedings of the day. Following the submission of the statements of the victim who has reportedly accused Bahl of sexual harassment (the incident took place at a hotel in Goa in 2015), they (the statements) were analysed and debated by his counsel Janak Dwarkadas. Moreover, he also quoted articles, which included Kashyap’s quotes against his erstwhile partner, and pleaded that the victim be made party to the case for her cross-examination and ascertaining the veracity of her claims to give his client a fair chance to prove his innocence. He reportedly told the court, “She will have to be subjected to cross-examination. It can’t be that Bahl’s reputation can be tarnished at the behest of the victim and she would be dropped from the hearing.”
Apart from submitting a couple of more testimonies in sealed covers by women who claimed to have been harassed by Bahl, Kashyap and Motwane’s counsel Venkatesh Dhond argued in favour of the victim’s demand to not be made a party in the case and be allowed to move on, citing justice by retribution. He also pointed out that it could encourage other victims to freely testify, without any fear of being shamed, if they have been harassed at their workplace.
Dhond also recalled that after the girl had complained, Bahl’s partners confronted him. “He broke down and confirmed the incident, promising to go in for rehabilitation. This man has a drinking problem and he had promised to go to rehab as he cannot control his actions when he is drunk,” he told the court, adding that Madhu Mantena, their fourth partner, was also present when Bahl confessed to Kashyap and Motwane. However, Mantena’s lawyer Vineet Nayak said that his client was never present.
Due to the absence of an affidavit of Mantena’s clear statements, Justice Kathawalla wanted to schedule the next hearing on Wednesday (October 24). He also observed that Kashyap, Motwane and Mantena’s statements (which were presented in court on Tuesday, October 23) had several contradictions. But the producer’s lawyer requested for a day, after which the hearing was scheduled for today (Thursday, October 26).
Even though the accusations against Bahl were first made in the media last year, they made headlines once again after the #MeToo Movement gathered momentum in India. Kashyap and Motwane had reportedly given several quotes against Bahl, and consequently, he has dragged them to court in a Rs 10 cr defamation case.
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 "Vikas Bahl, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane")
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