Actor/dancer and former Bigg Boss contestant Rakhi Sawant was detained by the Amboli police on Thursday in connection with an FIR filed by actor Sherlyn Chopra for allegedly uploading an explicit video of her last year. Later, Ms Sawant's advocate Falguni Brahmbhatt said that the actor was allowed to go home at 7.30 pm after recording her statement.
On Wednesday, a sessions court in Dindoshi rejected Ms Sawant's anticipatory bail application. While speaking to the Free Press Journal, Ms Chopra lashed out at Ms Sawant stating that the latter had supported director/producer Sajid Khan who allegedly sexually harassed her.
Rakhi Sawant's spat with Sherlyn Chopra
The verbal altercations between Ms Chopra and Ms Sawant began after Ms Chopra levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Khan, who is at present a contestant in the reality show Bigg Boss.
Ms Sawant's brother Rakesh Sawant said his sister could not go to the police earlier since her mother was in critical condition and in the ICU. The police had on Thursday detained Ms Sawant from her home in Andheri since she did not respond to the summons.
The case against Sawant
Based on a complaint by Ms Chopra, the Amboli police filed an FIR against Ms Sawant on November 8, 2022, under IPC sections 354A (sexual harassment), 500 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult), 509 (insulting modesty of woman by act, word or gesture) and Section 67 of the IT Act(transmission of obscene content in electronic form) following which the Oshiwara police on November 9 registered an FIR against Ms Sawant. Ms Brahmbhatt had told the court on Wednesday that Ms Sawant is ready to cooperate with the police and her custody is not required.
However, Public Prosecutor Sachin Jadhav argued that her custody was required to know from where she had got the video and said it needs to be recovered from her mobile. The prosecution further said that she had come to the police station upon a notice they had sent to her, but soon thereafter she had gone to Bigg Boss as a contestant and did not cooperate thereon.
