In history, or even in the meanest tabloids, what lust, or even allegations of sexual harassment can do to rising stars, has been documented in grisly detail. In India and abroad, sexual harassment is a serious offense. And when the offender is someone in a position of power, the crime is that much more unacceptable. And the subsequent fall, then, often becomes the talk of the town.
Here are nine men whose careers took a knock when they faced charges of sexual harassment -
The sexual harassment case against Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal by a junior colleague came as a shock to the Indian media industry. Tejpal was detained in a Goa jail for months, several of his colleagues speaking out against him as he seemed to discredit the junior colleague’s ‘version’ of the incident. The case forced Tejpal to step down as the Editor of the iconic investigative magazine.
Los Angeles based Yoga guru Bikram Chowdhury has been slammed with six separate civil lawsuits from women accusing him of sexual assault or rape this February. Choudhury specialises in what he calls ‘Hot Yoga’, and has had celebrity clients like Madonna, David Beckham, Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney in the past. All the women accusing him of rape or assault have been followers of his yoga.
Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was sentenced to a minimum of 59 years in prison by the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2009. Jon had dressed socialite Paris Hilton and singer Janet Jackson before his arrest in 2007. He was found guilty of 16 counts, including rape, sexual battery, and performing lewd acts on a child.
In 2007, 74-year-old environmentalist RK Pachauri, at the pinnacle of his career, collected the Nobel Peace Prize for the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). He was then Chairman of the panel. Today Pachauri stands accused of sexual harassment in two cases, by women who worked under him at TERI. Pachauri has denied all allegations, but the cases are under investigation. He has stepped down from his post at IPCC. He has also been restrained from entering the premises of TERI, the organization he has headed for years.
Former US president Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 after details emerged of his extra-marital affair with a White House intern Monika Lewinsky. Clinton was accused of sexual harassment by a woman prior to the Lewinsky episode as well, while he was still the US President. While he did face immense pressure to resign, Clinton did complete two terms as President.
Publisher and Indian novelist David Davidar lost his job in 2010 after being accused of sexual harassment by an employee at publishing house, Penguin. The victim and Davidar allegedly had a relationship for a brief period when they worked together in Penguin. However, she agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Davidar and the publishing company later in 2010.
Actor Shiney Ahuja had a string of hits to his name, including Hazaaron Khwahishe Aisi, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Gangster, Life in a...Metro and many others until he was accused of rape by his maid in 2009. The actor claimed it was consensual sex at the time. Shiney was arrested and sentenced to jail for 7 years but was later granted bail after the maid retracted her statement. But the charge virtually wrecked his acting career. There are reports that he is now shooting for a film, which ironically, is named ‘Welcome Back’.
Dominique Strauss Kahn had to step down in 2011 from his position as chief of the International Monetary Fund, after being arrested by the New York police over allegations of sexual assault. Several cases of rape, sexual molestation and assault have been slapped against him ever since. Several cases against him are under trial.
Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Ganguly was accused of “unwelcome conduct of sexual nature” towards a woman who was interning with him during December 2012. The victim’s allegations came a year later in a blog entry on a legal portal. Ganguly eventually resigned from his position as the chairperson of West Bengal Human Rights Commission.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)