The bail application for actor Karan Oberoi – who was arrested on Sunday for allegedly raping a fashion designer-and-healer – will be filed today. Police custody was rejected by the court on Thursday
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 10, 2019)

TV actor Karan Oberoi’s arrest on Sunday following an FIR lodged by a fashion designer-and-healer, charging him with rape and extortion, has left his family and friends shocked. Some of his close friends, like actress and columnist Pooja Bedi, TV actor Sachin Shroff, members of his Indi pop group, A Band Of Boys, including Sudhanshu Pandey, Sherrin Verghese, Chaitanya Bhosle and Danny Fernandes, along with Karan’s sister Gurbani Oberoi, came out in support of him on the day of his first hearing at the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Andheri East. His friends, who have known him for years and believe that Karan can’t commit such a crime, have extended their unconditional support. They have, in fact, even initiated the #MenToo movement, that will fight and stand up for men’s rights during instances when they are falsely accused.

Before entering the court yesterday, Sudhanshu told Bombay Times, “The idea of being here is the same as it was at the press conference, which is extending our full support to Karan. Like I said earlier, I have complete faith in our judicial system. I am also certain that Karan is not capable of committing a crime of this magnitude. We want him to come out of this without being mentally scarred. He should know that all of us are with him. He should be in a good state of mind and that’s what we want for him.”

Karan couldn’t hold back his tears and was seen sobbing throughout the hearing. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when the demand for police custody was rejected by the honourable court.

During the hearing, Karan’s lawyer Dinesh Tiwari pointed out several discrepancies in the statements of the girl. He told the court, “No description of the date, time and place of the act has been mentioned by the girl anywhere in the FIR.”

His lawyer also read out a few messages sent by the girl to Karan. Quoting some of them, the lawyer said, “In a message, the girl asks Karan for a picture. If they were in a relationship for two years, how can there be no picture of them together. In case of a genuine relationship, the couple hangs out and clicks pictures together. In another message, she writes to him, ‘You never offered me anything I asked for. Take care’. Karan hasn’t replied to any of these messages, which makes it look like a case of one-sided love and she seems to be chasing him. Nowhere has she mentioned that he raped her or promised marriage. What’s to be noted is the fact that she would message Karan from different numbers after he blocked her, because she was causing nuisance in his life. Is it possible for a lady, who has been subjected to torture or rape, to resort to these measures? Even in an interview given to a publication, there was no mention of marriage by her. She also mentioned in the interview that Karan asked for her pictures, which proves that there was an exchange of pictures with her consent. By sending such pictures, did she not seduce the accused? If at all she was offended, the reaction would have been different. In this case, she is an equal participant.”



BT was present throughout the court proceedings, and post that, Dinesh Tiwari told us, “The request of the police for custody has been rejected by the court. We presented all the material, including everything that’s published in the newspaper, to indicate how this story has been created. The court has accepted the submission and he will be in judicial custody for 14 days. We will apply for bail today. When the police sought police custody for Karan Oberoi, we objected to it, pointing out how this fake case has been created out of nowhere and just because two people don’t get along, such allegations are created. After hearing the argument at length, the court has sent Karan in judicial custody.”

Pooja, who is Karan’s best friend, said, “It’s one step forward in the right direction. We will be relieved when he comes home, the case against him is quashed and the girl gets punished for filing a fake case. A precedent must be set. It’s not just about Karan, but about a much bigger picture that we are looking at. One thing that needs to be done is to protect the identity of the man, so that he doesn’t have to go through the trauma. Whoever is found guilty, whether it’s the accuser or the accused, should be named and shamed. But till that time, both their identities need to be protected. Most importantly, we need to take note of the fact that while laws like these come into place to protect women, we also need to prevent the misuse of these laws, which can lead to an immediate arrest of a man, because that’s the legal process. We presented the police with all the evidence to show that Karan was innocent. But they had to arrest him owing to the due process of the law.”

Pooja hugged Karan while he was leaving for judicial custody. She said, “I told him that he should know that everyone is on his side. We love him, support him and we are going to make sure that he gets through this. I told him about the tremendous amount of support the #MenToo movement is receiving. I also told him that I really hope that this case makes him the poster boy of all false cases filed against men.”

Talking about the support the #MenToo movement has garnered, Pooja said, “I think the movement is getting support because people are aggrieved and have felt the brunt of the misuse of these laws. It’s there because people know this is not something that’s unique to just Karan, but a large number of men across the country. As I said, it’s not just the men who suffer, their families, too, suffer along with them, which includes their wives, sisters, mothers and daughters. All of them are made to suffer equally when a woman files a fake case against them. If we want true equality in our country, things need to change. We cannot have laws, which are so protective of one sex that they infringe on the rights and liberty of the other. It’s just not fair.”