The Powai police station has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Asit Modi, the producer of popular television show “Tarakh Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma”, executive producer Jatin Bajaj and operation head Sohail Rehman following a complaint alleging mental torture and sexual comments lodged by an actress.
“An actress filed an online complaint and we advised her to register an FIR. She registered the FIR on the night of June 19. We are investigating the matter,” said Senior PI Budhan Sawant.
FIR Registered Under Various Sections
The FIR has been registered against the trio under sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force on woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
The 44-year-old actress, who had worked on the sets of “Tarakh Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma” from 2008 to 2013, alleged that three individuals from the show's team subjected her to mental harassment and made inappropriate sexual remarks, according to police.
“The actress gave her statement on May 24 and we encouraged her to file an FIR. We will call witnesses and determine the further course of action,” said DCP Zone 10, Datta Nalawade. The actress, however, expressed disappointment over the delayed action. “I am a little disappointed as the action was taken quite late. I had provided the names of three witnesses from the show and I have gathered evidence against all three accused. There was an extreme level of mental harassment on the sets of 'Tarakh Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma',” she told The Free Press Journal.
The actress also acknowledged the significance of the FIR being registered and said: “The law will take its course. The fact that the FIR has been registered itself is a big thing. It was pending for many days and that is a huge step.”
Producer Asit Modi has denied all the accusations, according to sources. Modi called the allegations "baseless" and wrote, "We will take legal action as she is trying to defame me and the show both. Since we terminated her services, she is making these baseless allegations."
However, the show's producer, project head Sohail Ramani, executive producer, Jatin Bajaj, and the team of directors earlier issued an official statement denying all the allegations saying Mistry is being driven by vendetta as her work contract with the production house was terminated.
Mistry had expressed her hope that the truth will come out only after the police complete their investigation.
