Enough Evidence Against Bollywood Producer Karim Morani In Rape Case: Telangana Police Tell SC

The Telangana Police on Monday told the Supreme Court that there was enough evidence against Bollywood producer Karim Morani regarding rape allegations by a Delhi-based woman.

The state’s advocate S Udaya Kumar Sagar informed the bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra that the police had filed an affidavit in which it was stated that charge-sheet has been filed and there was evidence against Morani for committing the offence.

However, Morani is yet to respond to the plea filed by the victim seeking cancellation of his bail which was granted by Andhra Pradesh High Court in November last year.

His counsel senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Sidharth Luthra submitted that they need more time to file the reply.

Victim’s counsel Karuna Nundy argued that this court had issued a notice in February and the accused has not filed any reply.

“They should either file the reply or say that they are not interested in filing it. It has been more than 12 weeks..,” the lawyer said.

The court granted more time to Morani and posted the matter for May 8.

The woman had lodged a complaint with the Hayathnagar police under Rachakonda police commissionerate in January last year alleging the producer had repeatedly raped her in Mumbai and in film city in Hyderabad.

As per the victim’s plea, Morani had sedated her and then raped her several times.

He took even nude photos between July 2015 and January 2016 and later threatened her to make them public, it was alleged.

Morani had surrendered before the police in September last year after the apex court refused to interfere with the AP HC order rejecting his plea for anticipatory bail.

The 25-year-old woman has challenged the bail granted to him by the Andhra Pradesh High Court (APHC) on November 17, 2017.

Following the complaint, the producer was booked under IPC sections 417 (punishment for cheating), 376 (rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 493 (cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage) and other relevant sections.