Filmmmaker Vikas Bahl, accused of sexual harassment by a former employee who worked with him in Phantom Films, has lashed out at the woman for refusing to take her allegation to court.
Filmmmaker Vikas Bahl, accused of sexual harassment by a former employee who worked with him in Phantom Films, has lashed out at the woman for refusing to take her allegation to court.
“There cannot be such an easy way out,” said senior advocate Janak Dwarkadas, appearing for Bahl. “The allegation has ruined my (client’s) life, but it is immaterial to her. Now, I won’t have the opportunity to prove my innocence. My reputation in the industry has been tarnished at the hands of an alleged victim, who does not want to take any legal recourse.”
Bahl made the statement after senior advocate Navroz Serwai, appearing on behalf of the woman told the court that her client wanted be dropped as a party from the proceedings. “I want to walk away and put the incident behind me. I have suffered a lot over the years. However, my liberty to pursue the case in future should not be taken away,” the woman said.
In a statement signed by her and submitted in a sealed envelope to the court, the woman blamed the police machinery and the administration for her not taking any legal recourse. She said, “Processes have failed to achieve any measure of accountability, and lead only to further victimization of sexual assault survivors."
Bahl in his defamation suit has sought by way of ad-interim relief an injunction against his former business partners Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, restraining them from making any statements on the alleged case. His counsel said "If they (Kashyap-Motwane) feel so strong that justice should be done to the woman, they should remember that they too were her employers and sat on the complaint for three years without taking any action.”
Senior Advocate Venkatesh Dhond, appearing for Kashyap and Motwane, opposed any relief being granted to Bahl by saying that in his suit, he has not denied the incident. Instead, he has been commenting on who did what.
Opposing grant of any interim relief, Dhond said "How can this be the rule, that when a wrong is done either file a police complaint, or even the civil court will stop you from speaking out on public platforms. If relief is granted then it will destroy the entire MeToo movement.”
The court has now posted the matter for further hearing, on Thursday. After, which it is likely to pass an order.
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