Vijay Raaz gets big relief in sexual harassment case, court acquits him due to lack of evidence

Actor Vijay Raaz was acquitted on Thursday by a Maharashtra court in a case of sexual harassment filed by a colleague in 2020. The prosecution was unable to present enough evidence against him. A crew member had accused the actor of sexual harassment nearly five years ago while working on the film 'Sherni'.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Gondia) Mahendra Sorte withdrew the charges filed against the actor for sexual harassment and stalking. The crew member had accused the actor five years ago, when the film 'Sherni' was being shot, of sexually harassing her. According to the complaint lodged at Ramnagar police station in Gondia, the alleged crime was committed between the night of October 25, 2020, and the morning of October 29, 2020.

Actor Vijay Raaz was arrested on November 4, 2020, in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh. This is where the film crew was staying. However, he was released on bail the same day. The case has been going on in the court since then.

The court order said that the complainant said that the incident took place in a hotel, but the investigating officer did not go to the spot. The judge said that the complainant named two or three people working in the hotel, but their statements were also not recorded. The court said, 'The investigating officer did not investigate further. Therefore, the evidence presented by the prosecution seems to be weak and insufficient. Even the CCTV footage does not clearly show the accused committing the alleged act.'

The court said that the prosecution failed to conclusively prove the guilt of the accused, so the benefit of the doubt goes to the accused. The court said that the oral evidence presented by the prosecution was not enough to convict the accused. Therefore, he is acquitted.