Casting couch: Film producer denied anticipatory bail
Ahmedabad: A city sessions court on Friday denied anticipatory bail to a self-proclaimed film producer who was accused of a casting couch incident by a TV actress in April. The 30-year-old woman, who acts in Gujarati TV serials, had filed the complaint with Vasna police, accusing the man of rape, cheating and extorting Rs 20 lakh.
She stated that she had met the accused in Aug 2022 at a party in Mumbai, where he introduced himself as a film producer and promised her roles in feature films.
They remained in touch and developed a close friendship. In Feb 2023, the complainant rented a flat in Vasna, where she allegedly lived with the accused.
He allegedly promised her marriage and persuaded her into an intimate relationship, saying he would legally separate from his wife who had purportedly demanded Rs 5 lakh as settlement.
Vasna police charged the accused with cheating, blackmail, criminal intimidation and rape.
Fearing arrest, the producer sought anticipatory bail while maintaining innocence in the case with public prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt opposing his plea.
After the hearing, additional sessions judge H G Pandya said, "In view of the fact that the applicant made the complainant a victim of casting couch and threatened to circulate videos of her private moments, which indicates that such acts were committed by the applicant…Since the present applicant appears to be the main accused in the offence and is actively and primarily involved, as evident from the investigation papers, and considering the nature of the offence, it does not appear justifiable or appropriate to grant anticipatory bail to the applicant at this stage.
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