Maharashtra court acquits actor Vijay Raaz in 2020 sexual harassment case

A trial court in Gondia, Maharashtra, recently acquitted Bollywood actor Vijay Raaz in a sexual harassment case filed in October 2020 by a female assistant manager working on the set of the Vidya Balan-starrer film Sherni [State of Maharashtra v Vijay Raaz]..The complaint, registered at Ramnagar Police Station, accused Raaz of making repeated unwelcome physical advances during the film's production schedule in Gondia and Balaghat.Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Mahendra Keshao Sorte ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish these allegations beyond reasonable doubt."Based on the above discussion, there is no evidence on record that during the incident of the said crime, the accused sexually harassed the informer and victim by having unwanted physical intimacy with her and he chased her to have unwanted intimacy with her even though she made it clear that she was not interested in him. The prosecution failed to establish the nexus of the accused with the alleged offence. Therefore, the prosecution has not proved that the accused has committed the crime in question. Hence I record the findings of issue no 1(sexual harassment) and 2(stalking) as negative," the May 14 judgment said. .According to the complaint, the informant had been working as an assistant manager on the film when the alleged incidents took place. She claimed that Raaz initially called for her through his assistant and, despite her reluctance, spoke to her under the pretext of inquiring about the next day’s schedule. On October 27 and again on October 29 in 2020, she claimed Raaz placed his hand on her shoulder - once near a hotel lift and once during filming. She further alleged that Raaz touched her hair and commented, "You have beautiful hair," adding, "Have you ever thought of short hair? You will look very beautiful in short hair."She added that such comments left her feeling humiliated. .She reported the matter to senior crew members and later filed a complaint at Ramnagar Police station. The first information report (FIR) registered on her complaint cited the offences under Sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code.The prosecution brought in five witnesses, including two who were present during an alleged seizure of CCTV footage and two who were part of the panchnama (document detailing details of a crime with witness accounts). However, during the trial, these witnesses either denied witnessing the procedures or claimed ignorance about the content of the documents. Crucially, the prosecution was unable to present the victim’s testimony, as she passed away during the investigation.The defence maintained that the case was based on hearsay, lacked direct evidence, and asserted Raaz’s innocence.The trial court noted that the prosecution could not prove where or how the alleged incidents took place, and none of the witnesses corroborated the complaint with substantive evidence.Subsequently, Raaz was acquitted of both sexual harassment and stalking charges..Assistant Public Prosecutor AG Yele appeared for the StateAdvocates Saveena Tejpal Bedi and VN Barapatre appeared for Raaz.[Read Order]