Sharad Kapoor molestation case: Complainant's lawyer demands actor's arrest

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A charge sheet was filed on February 1 against Sharad Kapoor in the molestation case following serious allegations raised against the Khar Police for allegedly failing to arrest the Bollywood actor, despite prima facie evidence against him.

A first information report (FIR) was filed against Kapoor on November 26, 2024, based on a complaint filed by a 32-year-old model who alleged that the actor had called her to his apartment to discuss a film, during which he tried to misbehave with her and also forcibly touched her inappropriately.

Advocate Ali Kaashif Khan, representing the complainant, claimed that the Khar Police filed a charge sheet within two months of the FIR without taking the accused into custody.

Speaking to mid-day, Khan said, "Despite there being prima facie material evidence of molestation and sexual harassment, the Khar Police blatantly failed to arrest the accused. The police rather went hand in glove with the accused and filed a charge sheet in the case, which hardly runs into 17 pages, as the accused belongs to an influential family. The haste in filing the charge sheet within two months from the date of the FIR, without the arrest of the accused, clearly shows the corrupt mind and conduct of the police."

In any case of women's laws, the charge sheet should be filed within 60 days of the accused being in custody and 90 days in other cases.

"Nonetheless, we have filed a complaint before the division police authorities at Kokan Bhavan against the said corrupt officers demanding their suspension and penalty. We are awaiting the hearing further," said the advocate.

According to the sources, the charge sheet contained only detailed key witness statements and forensic evidence. The charge sheet includes the statement of Deepak Kapoor, the younger brother of Sharad, who was reportedly present in the flat at the time of the incident.

The police also recorded the statement of the building's watchman, Anirudhkumar Yadav, who stated, "The woman arrived at around 5.30 pm, took the lift upstairs, and returned within 10 minutes. She appeared nervous and left the premises immediately."

The Khar police have also invoked sections of the IT Act 67(A), suggesting digital evidence plays a crucial role in the case.

Meanwhile, Sharad dismissed the molestation charges. "The allegations are false; the woman has been crazy in love with the actors," he told mid-day.