Can’t Rule Out Possibility Alok Nath Was Framed: Mumbai Court

Vinta Nanda ‘did not lodge the report immediately after alleged incident of her own benefit’: Court

While granting anticipatory bail to actor Alok Nath, who has been accused of rape, a Mumbai Sessions court said it ‘cannot be ruled out that the applicant (Nath) has been falsely enroped in the crime’.

Justice SS Oza observed in the order that, ‘It is to be noted that complainant has remembered the entire incident but she did not remember the date and month of the incident, In view of all these facts the possibility cannot be ruled out that the applicant has falsely been enroped in the crime.’

Writer and producer Vinta Nanda had filed a complaint against Alok Nath in October 2018, for sexually assaulting her 19 years ago. Following Nanda’s complaint, the Mumbai police registered an FIR against Nath a month later in November.

While stating the delay in FIR would not have any effect as per the Supreme Court’s judgments, the judge noted that, ‘if there is a delay in lodging the FIR, it loses the advantage of spontaneity, danger creeps in of the introduction of coloured version, exaggerated account or concocted story as a result of large number of consultations/deliberations.’

Vinta Nanda has maintained that she didn’t register a complaint against Alok Nath when the incident occurred as she was told by her friends back then that since Nath was a big actor and all her companies were already shut, no one would believe her story. Taking this into account, the court observed that:

“Thus, nothing on record to show that applicant has given any threat or made any promise for not lodging the report. Thus, its reveals that applicant did not lodge the   report immediately after alleged incident of her own benefit.”

Reacting to the court order, Vinta Nanda said,

“I respect the order because I trust the process of law. Like all other predators, so has Alok Nath denied allegations against him and it is expected that he would do that. In his application for anticipatory bail, he has cast aspersions on my character, which was expected and tried to mislead the court by cooking up stories which are completely false and untrue. I have clarified each point by which Alok Nath and his team tried to mislead the court through an intervention made by my lawyers. But because the proceedings were between the state and Alok Nath, my reply was quoted limitedly in the final order.” 

Vinta Nanda

Nanda further added that she is grateful that her reply was accepted and put on record. “Everyone who knows me and knows Alok Nath personally also knows the truth and there is nothing in the world that will change those facts. I may be fighting this battle in the court alone but my family, friends in the industry all know what the truth is,” she said.

“CINTAA has already expelled Alok Nath after having concluded that I’m telling the truth and after having heard not just what Alok Nath has done to me but also having heard what he has done to all the other victims of his assaults. You can’t say that Sandhya Mridul, Navneet Nishan, Himani Shivpuri, Deepika Amin and all those other women who have still not gathered the strength to come out publicly are lying and only Alok Nath is telling the truth.”

Vinta Nanda

Meanwhile, the court set five conditions while granting Alok Nath anticipatory bail plea. These included that:

1. He should not visit near Nanda’s house
2. He shall not commit an offence similar to the offence of which he is accused, or suspected of.
3. Not directly or indirectly make any inducement,  threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts  of the case so as to dissuade her/him from disclosing such  facts to the Court or to any police officer or tamper with  the evidence
4. Nath is required to make himself available for interrogation by a police officer as and when required as well as for medical examination.
5. Alok Nath isn’t allowed to leave India without prior permission of court

Reacting to the court’s order, Vinta Nanda’s lawyer said,

“If there was no substance in the matter, then those strict five conditions would not have been given by the court while granting anticipatory bail plea.”

Solicitor Dhruti M Kapadia

Hearing in the defamation suit that Alok Nath filed against Nanda meanwhile, is expected to come up in February.