JEETENDRA, Bollywood’s Actor-Producer, Granted Temporary Relief in A Sexual Assault Case

THE Himachal Pradesh High Court has granted interim relief to Jeetendra, Bollywood actor turned film and TV producer, staying proceedings on the basis of an FIR registered against him for allegedly sexually harassing a woman at a Shimla hotel in 1971. He had come to the hill station for a film shooting along with her in a car from Delhi. According to the FIR, the victim is the daughter of Jeetendra’ maternal aunt. His birth name is Ravi Kapoor. He was then 28 and the victim was aged 18.Passing this order, Justice Ajay Mohan Goel has issued notice to the State and listed the matter for further hearing on May 23.The court passed the order on a petition filed by the actor contending that the case was a gross abuse of the process of law. It was further contended in the petition that there was an attempt to blackmail the actor for some illicit gains or favours. It contended that the present case related to an incident claimed to have happened more than 47 years ago and the case had been registered under Section 354 IPC. The petitioner alleged: “It is surprising that how come the police registered the case after 47 years when they are so reluctant to register cases in day-to-day course of business.”It was also argued by the 75 years old Mumbai based actor that the copy of the FIR was not given to him. There was no reason given as to why the complainant had taken 47 years to register the case and what was the instant motivation. The petition stated that completely false and frivolous allegations are made against him by his cousin. The petitioner has urged the court to quash the FIR registered on February 16, 2018 at the Women’s Police Station in Shimla. Amritsar born Jeetendra also alleged in the petition that it was a case for attempting to blackmail him for some ulterior motive. He has asserted in the petition the FIR was completely false and frivolous allegations had been levelled against him by his cousin sister.

His lawyer said in a statement that “the timing of this baseless complaint seems to be nothing but a miserable effort made by a jealous competitor to disrupt the business activities of my client and his esteemed company.” Jeetendra is the Chairman of Balaji TV Telefilms, Balaji Motion Pictures and ALT Entertainment. Famous for his dancing, he was awarded a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. The companies are managed by his daughter Ekta Kapoor with her mother Shobha. Her brother is actor Tusshar.