Filmmaker Shakeel Noorani, 73, who directed films including Bade Dil Wala and Joru Ka Ghulam, was arrested by the Malvani Police in the early hours of August 8 in connection with an alleged rape and sexual assault case filed by a 33-year-old actress. The Malvani Police registered a case under Sections 64(2)(M), 123, 351(2) and 88 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Shakeel Noorani Arrested
According to the police, the actress first met Noorani at an awards event in Lokhandwala in 2016. She alleged that Noorani spoke to her about an upcoming project and asked her to contact him for work, according to Mid-Day. The woman alleged in her FIR that she later visited Noorani’s Malvani residence to read a script. According to her complaint, Noorani allegedly gave her a drink, after which she fell unconscious. She further alleged that after regaining consciousness, Noorani showed her a video on his mobile phone and threatened to circulate it if she approached the police or informed her family. She alleged that Noorani later used the purported video to intimidate her and sexually assault her repeatedly on multiple occasions. The actress also account alleged that Noorani repeatedly gave her contraceptive pills following the alleged sexual encounters.
Shakeel Noorani’s Lawyer Denies
Advocate Vikas Singh Goar, who is representing Noorani, said that the filmmaker has been falsely implicated in the case. “The allegations made by the actress are yet to be established before a court, and the investigation is underway. Noorani is presumed innocent unless proven guilty,” he said, as reported by Mid-Day. The filmmaker was produced before the Borivali Holiday Court, where the police sought his custody to further investigate the allegations, recover and examine the purported video, and ascertain whether the alleged offences took place at other locations. The court subsequently remanded Noorani to police custody until August 12.
