Ever since the #MeToo movement exploded in India, calling out various Bollywood celebrities for their exploitative and inappropriate behavior, Anu Malik has constantly been in the news as there are multiple allegations against the singer and Indian Idol judge. He was initially dropped as a judge on the singing reality show, but later returned. Now, according to a recent report by Mumbai Mirror, the sexual harassment case against the singer has been shut due to “lack of communication” and “substantial evidence”.
Responding to the report singer Sona Mohapatra said that this is untrue. “ Please note India, this is untrue. I have painstakingly collated all the multiple testimonies of several women & mailed the same to NCW. Requested to talk to the chairperson. Only received terse & unkind one liners in return from them. Zero concern & no real interest in women,” she wrote on Twitter.
As per the report, the National Commision for Women (NCW) has issued a letter in which it states that the case against Anu Malik has been closed due to “lack of communication” and “substantial evidence”. The publication also reached out to the chairperson of NCW, Rekha Sharma.
Sharma revealed that the complainant had been approached and responded saying that she was travelling and would get back. However, Sharma claims that after waiting for 45 days, the complainant still hasn’t responded. Sharma has also clarified that the case has not been closed permanently. If the complainant were to respond with evidence, the case can be re-opened.
Anu Malik has been accused by multiple women including Sona Mohapatra, Shweta Pandit, and Neha Bhasin.
In November, Anu Malik broke the silence on the #MeToo allegations against him. He took to Twitter to post a long note detailing his own situation and why he hadn’t spoken up earlier. In the note, Anu Malik denied the allegations, calling them “false and unverified”. He wrote that he was “waiting for the truth to surface on its own” and that his “silence on the matter has been misconstrued” as his weakness. Towards the end of the open letter, Malik thanked his well wishers who had stood by him and his family in this “dark phase”.
(With inputs from Mumbai Mirror)
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