SC quashes rape case against Bhandarkar

In a major relief for filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday quashed the ongoing criminal proceedings against him on allegations of rape levelled by model Preeti Jain.

Jain had alleged that Bhandarkar had "raped her between 1999 and 2004 under the pretext of marrying her and casting her in his films as an actress."

A bench of justice HL Dattu and justice CK Prasad passed the order noting that Jain did not want to pursue the case against Bhandarkar and the Mumbai police had earlier given a clean chit to the film director. It set aside the Bombay High Court order which had confirmed the magisterial court’s decision to continue with the prosecution.

Bhandarkar had challenged the HC order, which had asked him earlier this year to face the trial in the case. A Mumbai trial court last year had found substance in Jain’s complaint and had asked him to face trial.

Bhandarkar had challenged the lower court’s order before the HC, which had rejected his plea as well. In September 2011, cops had filed a report stating that the case against Bhandarkar was false.

The trial court, however, had rejected the police report which had said the case was ‘maliciously false.’ The court had held that there was prima facie case against Bhandarkar.