Tension ran high at Bombay High Court Tuesday as Aditya Pancholi marked his 28th appearance in a lingering rape FIR battle. The 2019 Versova police complaint alleges the actor’s sexual abuse of an actress from 2004-2009, claims he brands entirely baseless.
His lawyer Prashant Patil hammered home the prosecution’s weakness: the accuser ignored 11 police call-ups for testimony. The court, sternly, reissued notices demanding her presence on March 4. Her representative pleaded for time to align with the client.
Media interactions saw Pancholi forecasting case dismissal, deferring deeper comments to the judicial timeline. The dispute ignited in late June 2019, with allegations of narcotics-induced assault, illicit photography, and extortionate threats spanning years.
Pancholi’s defense portrays it as a spiteful, belated fabrication unfit for trial. They seek FIR annulment, citing evident malice over genuine grievance. This high-stakes showdown has fueled endless tabloid frenzy, dissecting fame’s underbelly.
Beyond the personalities, it spotlights systemic challenges in handling delayed sexual offense reports. Will March 4 bring resolution? Observers remain riveted as justice teeters on procedural pivots and proof thresholds.