It’s the same Mumbai-based woman, who had accused her brother of rape and extortion
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; August 23, 2019)

On Wednesday, TV actor Karan Oberoi’s sister, Gurbani Oberoi, moved the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court against a Mumbai-based tantric-andhealer, for allegedly practising witchcraft. This is the same woman who had accused Karan of rape and extortion in May, following which he was arrested and subsequently released on bail by the Bombay High Court. Gurbani told Bombay Times, “Her witchcraft practices are not a new development. My brother had mentioned it in his NC, which he had filed against her in October last year, seven months before she filed the case against him. She had threatened us with dire consequences and claimed that she was using witchcraft to cause my parents pain and suffering. Such women cannot be above the law.”

Karan adds, “I have suffered for a long time. While I had clearly mentioned her association with witchcraft in my complaint, no action has been taken against her till date. Practising witchcraft is a serious crime in Maharashtra, and one can’t get away using the gender card. Every time someone gets away with an unlawful practice, it emboldens the others to follow suit. For the good of society, it’s important to keep crime and punishment gender neutral. Initiatives like #MenToo are the need of the hour.”

Karan’s lawyer, Dinesh Tiwari tells us, “Propagating and promoting such theories in any form is illegal and that’s the ground of our complaint. Besides publishing a book on witchcraft and voodoo, she has been propagating it on chat groups and also teaching people. In fact, her lawyer, too, admitted that she indulges in such practises and even claimed to be a victim of it. This is good enough evidence and she is liable to be prosecuted and punished.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; July 1, 2019)

TV actor Karan Oberoi, who was released a month after his arrest on May 5, following charges of rape and extortion levelled against him by a tantrik-healer, filed a complaint against the investigating officer, inspector D P Sonawane, in the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Andheri East on Saturday.

Karan’s lawyer Dinesh Tiwari said, “We have filed a criminal complaint against IO Sonawane for submitting a false report against Karan Oberoi in the course of hearing of the remand application. We believe that he deliberately tried to frame Karan in an attempt to favour the complainant and is liable to be prosecuted.”

On his part, the actor added, “I have filed a complaint against the police officer to highlight biased and defective investigation. He had claimed at the time of filing the report that my laptop and mobile were not seized, but as a matter of fact, it was. A cellphone facilitates two-way communication. So, one can’t just seize mine immediately and wait for more than a month to seize hers. I am trying to get justice and set this case as an example for victims like me.”

When contacted, Sonawane said, “I haven’t received any such intimation yet.” 

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 18, 2019)

He gets emotional every time he narrates his month-long ordeal behind the bars, after being accused of rape and extortion by a tantrik-cum-healer.

But the experience hasn’t made Karan Oberoi bitter. The actor, who has become the poster boy of #Men-Too movement, says, “This isn’t against any other movement. In fact, it complements it. Women, too, suffer when men who are close to them, are implicated in false cases.” In an interview after his release from jail, Karan talks about his stay in prison, the support he got from friends and family, and his future plans. Excerpts...

You were arrested on May 5. What exactly happened on that day?
I was about to sleep around 10 pm, when the cops came to my house. They asked me to accompany them to the police station, but refused to divulge the reason. At first, I thought that it was a case of mistaken identity. At the station, the investigating officer asked me to submit my phone. After checking it, he told me about the rape charge. I told him that I am innocent, and in fact, I had filed an NC on October 17, 2018, citing harassment by the lady in question. However, he asked me to send for my laptop immediately. They didn’t even allow me to call anyone in the family, but fortunately, I managed to contact my sister, Gurbani.

When was the last time you contacted the complainant?
A few days before I filed the NC against her. She had called me, saying that she is in trouble. However, when I met her, she tried to hit me. That’s when I realised that she is beyond help and nothing could be done to change her mind.

The complainant has claimed that you were in a relationship with her. Is that true? How and where did you first meet her, and at what point did your association turn sour?
We met on a dating app, where she introduced herself as a healer and astrologer. Then we shifted to WhatsApp and slowly got talking. She did not tell me that she was into witchcraft and voodoo, but I soon realised that something was amiss. She would often tell me that I am a misfit and that I needed someone like her to protect me. These conversations started making me uncomfortable, and finally, she told me that she is a wiccan, who has been practising black magic and occult for years. She told me that she could change my destiny by giving me the power to control anyone in the industry. She also claimed that she could cause irreparable damage to anyone she wants to. So, a few months after meeting her, I told her that I wanted to end our association. In fact, I was so scared that I started avoiding her. Then one day, she told me that she wanted to end the occult practice and take up another profession; she wanted to start by designing my home. I was foolish enough to believe her, and even gave her some money to do up my home. I thought I was helping someone. She was extremely short-tempered and would flare up over petty things. After one such fight, she left the work mid-way and I had to ask somebody else to step in. But she had an issue with that, too. She landed up at my house, and alleged that she had been used, abused and discarded. But the matter didn’t end there. She would land up at my building and ask me to meet her. If I refused, she would threaten to harm my reputation. I tried to reason with her for the longest time, but finally, I asked the security guards to not allow her on the premises. Then, she started leaving gifts with the building’s security guards, and if I refused to take them, she would threaten to burn the gifts in front of the gate and create a huge tamasha. It was nothing short of a nightmare, and I didn’t know who to confide in. Once, my mother fell ill and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Around that time, she called and asked me, if my mother was alright. When I broke down, she told me, ‘You don’t know my powers’. Four days later, my father, too, fell ill. That is when I surrendered in terms of accepting her calls. I was scared that she would harm my family. However, I blocked her calls, eventually. I also had to block her from social media because she would stalk me. Not the one to give up, she started texting me at random hours from different numbers. She once told me that she has slit her wrist and even threatened to have me booked for abetment of suicide. But no matter what she claims, I never promised her marriage. Looking back, I regret not converting the NC into an FIR.

According to her FIR, you raped her in January 2017 and also filmed the act, which she claims was used by you for extortion and blackmail...
That’s a figment of her imagination. If somebody rapes you, then you don’t text him saying, ‘Hi Sweety!’ Also, you won’t ask for sex or plead with the ‘rapist’ to answer your calls. Rape is a heinous crime and you can’t make these charges in a frivolous manner. Tell her to give the date when the rape happened. How can someone not remember the date of an incident of that magnitude? She knows that if she errs with the date, her charges will fall flat.

While your phone and laptop were seized immediately, the cops took time to confiscate her phones...
I was extremely upset. The police just acted on her story. Thank God that the reality came out after she staged an attack on herself (the complainant had alleged that she was attacked by two unknown bikers in Lokhandwala, who wanted her to withdraw the case. However, during the investigation, the police found the complainant and her lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan’s involvement in the attack).

You were in judicial custody for almost a month. Have you emerged stronger from that experience?
I was put in a circular barrack on the first floor, occupied by 92 inmates. The gates of the barracks are kept open for a few hours in the morning, so that you can walk around and stretch in the passage. You are not allowed to step out of the barrack and can’t even see sunlight. I spent my time reading books and writing one, too. In fact, I am in the process of finishing a book on my experience inside the jail. I saw a lot of people, who don’t have any support, suffering in jail. I don’t want anyone implicated in a false case to languish in jail, just because they don’t have the resources to secure a bail. Now, my mission is to fight for these voiceless people. I want to ensure that no human being suffers like I did. The system and process need a lot of reformation and corrective measures, and I will fight for that. The experience could have made me bitter, but I am grateful that it has made me hopeful and gentler. The support that I received from people outside helped me pull through.

You have emerged as the poster boy of the #MenToo movement. There is a certain section of people who feel that this movement could hamper the #MeToo movement. What’s your response to that?
I have been an advocate of both. The #MenToo movement is about justice and equality. In fact, it complements #MeToo. Take my case, for example. The whole episode was most traumatic for my mother and sister. #MenToo is the need of the hour. A society thrives when everybody lives in peace and harmony. #MenToo stands for the fact that if you file a false case, you can get into trouble, because every person who gets away with levelling false charges will encourage others to follow suit. When it comes to the #MeToo movement, I will fight for it shoulder-to-shoulder, but don’t persecute an innocent man and put him behind bars, because the agenda then gets diluted. That’s the point we are making with this movement. If we are suddenly going to answer years of patriarchy by creating an imbalance in the equation between men and women, we are asking for trouble. It will create discord between men and women. How would I know that the next woman I meet can be trusted and how can I safeguard myself, will be the questions that will haunt every man. This movement isn’t just about men, but about gender equality. In any case, people who are severely affected are the women in the family. Our empathy is towards the pain and not the gender.

Are you apprehensive that these charges could damage your career and reputation? Also, what are your future plans?
These charges were more damaging to my mind than my career. As far as the latter is concerned, I am doing fine, because offers are already coming in. I want to take my time to evaluate every offer. Meanwhile, I will continue writing my book. Besides, #MenToo is a mission I am not giving up on. In fact, nothing will take a back seat, be it singing, acting, writing, producing or directing.

He was joined by friends Pooja Bedi, Sherrin Varghese and other supporters and equal rights activists at this peaceful protest
Ismat Tahseen (BOMBAY TIMES; June 16, 2019)

A large number of people from various fields, including actors and several men’s rights activists, gathered at the Azad Maidan, Mumbai, yesterday for a peaceful dharna to voice their support for the #MenToo movement. The purpose of this dharna was to create awareness about the misuse of law, in cases where men are falsely accused of rape and other such charges by women. Recently, TV actor Karan Oberoi was accused of rape and extortion by a tantrik-and-healer. He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on June 7, about a month after his arrest.

Talking to Bombay Times, Karan said, “After being wrongly accused, I realised that I’m not the only one. There are so many men out there who are falsely accused. After being in prison for all those days, I can say that no one should go through such an ordeal ever. When I was in jail, the ones who suffered the most were my mother and sister. So, when you are fighting for men’s rights, you are also addressing the whole family that has been affected. I’m here today to support #MenToo, because I believe that justice shouldn’t be determined on the basis of one’s gender. Every man is vulnerable if the law is misused. We are fighting for gender-neutral laws here. When I was in jail, there were so many people fighting for me outside. However, there are many voiceless people, who do not have a support system, the means or money to help them. How can you just let them suffer for no fault of theirs? So, this fight is not just mine, and it doesn’t end with me getting out of jail.”

Pooja Bedi, who has been at the forefront of this movement and is one of Karan’s best friends and strongest supporters, said, “Movements like this are initiated because there is a need for it. There is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. What this movement needs at this point is support, visibility, and among many agendas, the most important one is to put a stop to fake cases. This is possible by modifying laws and strictly punishing those who file fake cases.”

The event, organised by a foundation, saw several known names lend their voices to the #MenToo movement, like equal rights activist Barkha Trehan, activist Amit Deshpande, theatre personality Dolly Thakore, Karan’s sister Gurbani, his friend Sherrin Varghese (member of Karan’s music band, A Band Of Boys; pictured right) and Maneck Contractor, among others. Said Sherrin, “I support my bandmate Karan Oberoi; it’s not about men or women, male or female, it’s about equality for all genders.”

Added Barkha Trehan, “I’m here to show support to all my innocent brothers who have been falsely implicated in fake cases. Their lives are ruined.”

Activist Amit Deshpande explained that the aftermath of such false cases could lead men to take drastic steps in their life. “These false cases affect men so badly that it even leads them to suicide. We have a suicide helpline for men and the maximum calls are from those who are falsely accused,” he said.

In a chat with Bombay Times, Pooja Bedi, one of the leading advocates of the #MenToo movement, talks about Karan Oberoi finally being out on bail after a month, and how supporters will join hands to work towards making changes in the legislation
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; June 10, 2019)

Last week, Bombay High Court’s Justice Revati Mohite-Dere granted bail to actor-singer Karan Oberoi, who was in judicial custody. He was arrested after a tantrik-cum-healer accused him of rape and extortion. Since his arrest, close friends of the actor, including Pooja Bedi, had been vocal on social media about the case and how they felt that Karan has been wrongly accused.

Tonight, Pooja is hosting a dinner at her house, where Karan’s friends and supporters will come together to welcome him home. In a chat with Bombay Times, she speaks about the ordeal that they all went through in the last one month, the tremendous support from lawyers and activists across the country, and the overwhelming backing that the #MenToo movement has received so far…

‘THERE ARE 600 CASES LIKE KARAN’S IN JUST TALOJA JAIL’
On his way back home from the jail, Karan did a video chat with Pooja, who could not personally be by his side. She says, “Karan was smiling, teary-eyed and overwhelmed with gratitude to see all the love and support pouring in from so many quarters. It has been an extremely traumatic experience for him. He sounded upbeat to be out, but I could see the wear and tear on his face from being in jail for a month. He is now determined to take this forward and make sure that this does not happen to any other man. He said that there were 600 cases similar to his in just Taloja jail (Navi Mumbai). Imagine the state across the country.”

TAKING THE #MENTOO MOVEMENT FORWARD
The #MenToo movement has been gathering tremendous momentum in the last month. And now, a huge number of people, including lawyers and activists, are holding a public rally in Azad Maidan from 11 am to 1 pm on June 15. Pooja says, “The rally will see supporters of #MenToo, and Karan along with his A Band Of Boys (his music group). They will sing a couple of songs to highlight the issue. We are going to take bytes of people, and capture the sentiment about fake cases that is gripping the nation. We want to start changing things and are taking concrete measures to ensure that this initiative gains momentum.”

‘WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS MAKING LEGISLATIVE CHANGES’
Pooja, along with an entire team including experts and lawyers, are working towards making changes in the legislation, which is the need of the hour. “Prominent lawyers across the country have come forward with different suggestions, information, clauses, supportive laws and cases to back our appeal for #MenToo and why we need it. They have brought forth many clauses, different laws that need amendment and different ways to prosecute women for fake cases. Lawyers are helping us to formulate an entire way forward for #MenToo and advising us how to make legislative changes in Parliament and in the Law Commission of India.” 

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 8, 2019)

TV actor Karan Oberoi, who was arrested on May 5 on charges of rape and extortion levelled against him by a tantrik-cum-healer, was granted bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 by the Bombay High Court yesterday. The judgment came a month after the actor was arrested and sent to judicial custody three days later (May 9) by the Andheri Magistrate Court.

The hearing, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday before the High Court, was postponed by a day after the public prosecutor asked for more time to go through the papers pertaining to the case.

Yesterday, in his argument before the judge, Karan’s lawyer Dinesh Tiwari said, “The applicant (Karan) got in touch with the complainant in October 2016, and he gave her money to refurbish his home. They grew closer and got into a consensual relationship with the passage of time. However, Karan decided to distance himself from her after he learnt that she is into black magic and occult practices. There was no commitment from Karan’s side to the complainant. She started making false allegations against him after she realised that he did not want to be with her. She filed an NC on October 25, 2018, but there is no mention of rape or extortion in it. There is also no mention of the place, date or time of the next two acts of rape that have allegedly taken place in her FIR. In fact, Karan had filed an NC 10 days before she filed a complaint.”

Dinesh also added that the woman would make demands for sex from Karan after he distanced himself from her. “She would call from different numbers every time he blocked her. She voluntarily gave him the gifts,” he stated.

Quoting the recent FIR lodged by the complainant on May 25 in which she claimed that she was attacked by three bike-borne people, who also threatened her to withdraw the case, the lawyer said, “Strangely, everything happens on the 25th. The attack was staged to delay his bail.”

After bail was granted, Dinesh told BT, “The court observed that the lady has been obsessed with the applicant, and the communication placed on record clearly indicates that it could not be a case of rape. After considering everything, bail has been granted. The judge also questioned why the complainant’s mobile phone hasn’t been seized.”

He added, “As soon as Karan is out, we will take everybody to task, including the complainant and the lawyer. Those responsible will have to pay a price for the ordeal that Karan went through in this one month. We will expose them for framing him in a false case. This should be a milestone for all those who have been wrongly accused. Karan should be out today (Saturday). He will be required to record his statement with the police station and provide them with all the material pertaining to the case.”

An ecstatic Gurbani Oberoi, Karan’s sister, shared, “I am so overwhelmed. It’s such a big relief. Finally, we have got justice.” 

Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, a documentary filmmaker who advocates for men’s rights, makes a case for gender equality
Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (BOMBAY TIMES; May 13, 2019)

On May 10, a court in Rohtak, Haryana, asked the police to register a complaint against a basketball player, who has accused several men of rape, in order to extort money from them. The judge, while hearing the bail plea of a Kabaddi player accused of rape by the woman, said, “It is established that the complainant is a blackmailer and is habitual of getting false cases of rape registered, extorting money and then withdrawing the case or endorsing no objection.” While reading this judgment, I got to know the name of the accused, but not the alleged rape victim as she enjoys anonymity by law, which says no victim of sexual assault can be named. When the case was filed, the player’s name was splashed in newspapers just like actor Karan Oberoi’s, who has recently been accused of rape on the strength of alleged promise of marriage by a woman who was in a relationship with him. Scores of men are named and shamed the moment an FIR is registered against them. Forget even an FIR, they are named and shamed even if an anonymous tweet comes up alleging sexual harassment, as we saw happening with so many during the #MeToo Movement. It doesn’t matter if there isn’t an iota of truth in these allegations, but the word of a woman is treated as the gospel truth by society and the media and the accused man is lynched socially, causing irreparable damage to his social status and life. No one bats an eyelid when a man is called a “rapist, sexual predator, molester” and much worse without anything proven against him, just because a woman accused him.

VICTIMISING MEN WITHOUT PROOF HAS SERIOUS REPERCUSSIONS
While the constitution says that no person should be discriminated against on the basis of gender, caste or religion, our laws are extremely discriminatory against men. While on one hand, men are not even recognised as victims of domestic violence or rape or sexual harassment, on the other, if they are falsely accused by a woman, there is hardly any recourse available. I am currently dealing with a case where a man falsely accused of rape was granted Rs 5 lakh as compensation by the Sessions Court in Rohtak because he had to spend eight months in jail for no fault of his. After battling a false accusation for three years, it has been two years since this man has been struggling to get the compensation. Now, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the compensation granted to him because it believes that the judge who passed this order went out of her judicial powers to grant such an amount. This man lost his job, several years, reputation and money, and the High Court thinks the compensation granted to him is undue.

“Until and unless a person is proven guilty, his reputation should not be maligned. If a court finds that a woman has falsely accused a man based on concrete evidence beyond doubt... her name should be publicly revealed”



ONE SHOULD NOT BE LABELLED GUILTY, TILL PROVEN SO
I recently spoke to one of the accused in what the media called the “Rohtak double gang-rape case.” The case made headlines a few years ago, with TV anchors shouting at the top of their voice, showing the face of these men and labelling them “rapists,” raising questions about law and order, that the same men could gang-rape the same woman again. All of these men had several pieces of evidence, including CCTV footage clearly showing that none of them were even present in that city during the alleged incident, but it did not matter to anyone. Because of the media trial, three of the accused spent three months behind bars even though the police clearly knew they had been falsely accused. Today, while the second gang-rape complaint filed by the woman has been dismissed by Rohtak Police declaring it false, the first case filed by her has also led to honourable acquittal of the two accused, who were tried for it at the trial court in Bhiwani. But no one in the media has reported on either of the final verdicts. One of the accused men in this case, whom I spoke to, told me that when they were being taken to court after the sensational media trial, the public wanted to lynch them. Everyone was baying for their blood. But now when he has been proven innocent, no one even knows about it. I have met several men who have been falsely accused of rape. The emotional trauma of these men is nothing less than the trauma of real victims of rape or sexual harassment. The humiliation in the media adds to the pain of being wrongly accused, leaving a scar forever. In my documentary, Martyrs Of Marriage, on the misuse of Section 498A of the IPC (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), I have discussed several cases of men who have committed suicide because of false accusations. We are now seeing the same happening because of false accusations under Section 376 of the IPC (Punishment for rape).

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE ACCUSED AND THE VICTIM’S IDENTITY A SECRET
A Public Interest Litigation has now been filed in the Supreme Court asking for protection of the identity of the accused in sexual assault cases, just the way the identity of a woman is protected. I personally feel that this must be done. Until and unless a person is proven guilty, his reputation should not be maligned. Also, if a court finds that a woman has falsely accused a man based on concrete evidence beyond any doubt, she should be given the same sentence as a man would get if he actually committed the crime, and her name should also be publicly revealed. This will discourage false accusers to a large extent. The absence of these mechanisms has led to extortion gangs becoming active in all parts of country where the same woman accuses several men of rape or molestation in order to extort money.

GENDER EQUALITY CAN MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO
Gender equality cannot and should not be about rights of women alone. If rapists should be named and shamed, women who file false cases should be named and shamed as well. If men who perpetrate domestic violence, demand dowry, molest or rape women should be called out, female perpetrators of similar crimes should be booked and called out too. If media enthusiastically reports crimes against women by men, it should show the same concern for crimes against men by women. If we constantly talk about maintaining dignity, respect and honour of a woman, we need to think about the dignity, respect and honour of a man too. The silence of society, media and lawmakers towards issues that men face is slowly and steadily fuelling a great amount of unrest. It is also encouraging women to think that they can get away with any lies against a man or harassment of a man. Men are not disposable or collateral damage that should be sacrificed at the altar of the idea of protecting women. They are as human as women. Talking about their rights is as important as that of women. #MenToo is as important as #MeToo.

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.”

By Pooja Bedi (BOMBAY TIMES; May 9, 2019)

My best friend Karan Oberoi has been arrested for “Rape & extortion” and drugging and filming the complainant. The publicly known facts of the case are that they met end 2016 on a dating app. In October 2018, Karan Oberoi filed an NC against the woman for harassment. In her interview to the Times of India in November 2018, she states they had been in “a relationship”, that she had showered him with gifts and done up his apartment, and that she felt bad to pressure him for marriage because he was in a bad financial position. However, this week in May 2019 she has filed a case of rape and extortion, claiming it happened sometime in January 2017. The statements in her interview given in November 2018 are in direct contrast to her FIR in May 2019, which states that the “alleged” crime took place in 2017.

It’s glaringly obvious at to what is going on, but we cannot term it a fake case until it proven to be so in court of law. But what happens in the interim. She has cleverly lodged the FIR the day the High Court went to holiday so he can’t apply for bail for a month. The media has jumped on to it, hashtags of #rapist, loss of his reputation and years of fan following, damage to his career, his family is in turmoil, the physical distress given conditions of lock up... the list goes on. We showed the police overwhelming evidence in regards to her messages on his phone, but the saddest part is even if the police can see that the man is innocent, they have to take action based on the FIR, arrest him and follow due process of law. Even more bizarre was that he and she were both sent for medical tests even though the alleged incident happened 2.5 years ago, because it’s due process. This brings into focus the increasing need to focus on men’s rights as a human rights issue as well. Over the years, there has been a steady clamour among single and married men in India as to how provisions of the law meant to protect women are being misused by women for personal vendetta and extortion. I’m all for women power and women’s rights and come from a family of very strong, dynamic and liberated women who have heralded change and reform for women and their rights.

However, today (and I have done so in the past as well), I firmly stand in support of men’s rights and beginning of a #MenToo movement. The rising number of fake cases against men is not only women against men, but also women against women, as it weakens the purpose it was created for. The joy of knowing that a woman’s rights are protected and she has strong recourse in law is now increasingly being met with suspicion as to whether it’s a case of misuse. We cannot have an equal society if we are so focussed on protecting what we consider a “weaker sex”, that we refuse to openly acknowledging rising number of women as tyrants. Being a “rape or abuse complainant” gives women an almost “holy cow” status and people get scared to point out that she’s lying or manipulating the law. It’s almost sacrilegious to challenge a woman’s claim or to stand up for a man if you consider him a victim. Women have rights, but they are not above the law and that needs to be made very clear by prosecuting women who file fake cases. We need to have equally stringent punishments for women who unfairly and baselessly use provisions of law to subject men to tough laws and procedures. Most importantly, in the quest for equal rights is the need to protect the identity of men until they are proven guilty. Why is only a woman’s reputation sacred and not a man’s? Does he not have a career? Social respect? Family? If a woman is found guilty of a fake case, she should also be publicly named and shamed, like what happens to men. Let’s focus on equal laws to protect, equal laws to punish, and a fight for an equal society. It’s time for #MenToo.

Actor Karan Oberoi’s friends held a press conference in support of him, a few days after he was arrested on charges of rape and extortion
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 9, 2019)

A press conference was held in support of TV actor Karan Oberoi, who was arrested on Sunday on charges of rape and extortion levelled against him by a fashion designer-and-healer. Addressing the media was his sister Gurbani Oberoi, best friend Pooja Bedi, and the members of A Band Of Boys — the Indipop band that Karan is a part of, which includes actor Sudhanshu Pandey, Sherrin Verghese, Chaitanya Bhosle and Siddharth Haldipur, among others.

WE WANT TO TELL PEOPLE THAT WHAT’S HAPPENING TO KARAN IS WRONG: SUDHANSHU PANDEY
Sudhanshu said, “I have known Karan since two decades. We have seen each other’s ups and downs both on the professional and personal front. Karan’s father is a decorated retired Army officer and a war hero. Karan comes from a good family and had a solid upbringing. He was in the merchant navy before he became an actor. He has always led a disciplined life and has no vices. Since we know how he is, we can’t believe the kind of allegations that have been levelled against him. He is one of the most chivalrous guys I have ever come across. Forget the allegations, I have never seen him raise his voice while talking to a woman or behave rudely with her. So, this is a completely unbelievable situation that we are in right now. That’s the reason, why we have come together. We want to tell people that what’s happening to him is wrong.”

SHE HAS CAUSED IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO KARAN: POOJA BEDI
Actress and columnist Pooja Bedi said, “People who know Karan will vouch that he is a thorough gentleman. The allegations pressed on him are extremely serious. Based on what’s out in public domain, this girl had met Karan during the end of 2016 on a dating app. This incident apparently occurred in 2017; there was no sign or news of it, then. In October 2018, Karan filed an NC against her for harassment. However, in an interview given by her in 2018, she mentioned that she and Karan were in a relationship and she showered him with gifts, besides other things. In 2019, she filed a case against him and that, too, she chose a date when the courts close for the holidays to talk about an alleged incident that happened in January 2017. Her statements in the interview in 2018 are completely contrary to the FIR filed in 2019, stating an incident that happened in 2017. She didn’t mention those incidents in her interview given in 2018, which is completely polar in tonality and language. Though we have submitted proof pertaining to the conversation, which is all recorded, the police had no choice but to act on her FIR, because she filed it and is a woman. No matter how innocent Karan may be and all the evidence is there to support it, the cops will have to follow due process of law. It’s so unfortunate to see a man, who is most decent, kind, wonderful and a gentleman, being subjected to something like this — the condition he is in currently, damage to his reputation and career, the trauma that his family is going through. What’s unacceptable to me is that women can file whatever cases they want to against a man and their names are kept secret, but you can tarnish the image of a man completely. It’s not true just for Karan, but for many men across the country. There is a rise in the number of cases, where some women are misusing the law. They misuse these laws either to extort, for personal vendetta, and various other reasons. I think this is something we need to take stock of as people and a society. Today, a Karan Oberoi, who is famous, has been branded as a rapist. Tomorrow, if he is acquitted, it will be carried as a small news item. But people will still remember the rapist tag. She has caused irreparable damage to this man. If it is proved that it’s a fake case, which I am certain it will, I want to see action taken against her and in fact, against every woman who has filed a fake case against a man and caused irreparable damage to his career, name, dignity, integrity and his family.”

Pooja added, “I have fought my whole life for women’s rights, and I started fighting for men’s rights from last year. I believe in equality, but a woman can’t get away with ruining a man’s life. There have to be repercussions and stringent punishment against women who file fake cases, because only then they will learn to not frame someone. And because of these handful of women, people cast aspersions on those who are genuine. Rape is a heinous crime and provisions of law have been made to protect women. But if the greater number of women are going to misuse this stringent law that severely punishes men and their families, then certain laws not just need to be amended, but also be made to protect men’s rights. After what has happened with Karan, we have initiated the ‘#MenToo’ movement.”

THE ONLY TIME WE HEARD OF HER WAS WHEN KARAN SAID THAT A WOMAN WAS STALKING AND THREATENING HIM: POOJA BEDI
Pooja also mentioned that she has never heard about the girl. She said, “I have known Karan for 15 years and he is my best friend. We have seen each other through all our relationships, but I have never heard of this girl. No one, including his sister, has heard of her. The only time we heard of her was when Karan told us that a woman was harassing, stalking, intimidating and threatening him. She claims to have some powers! He filed an NC against her in 2018 and even instructed the security guards that this woman shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the building. She would still come, keep presents on the desk and threatened to burn them if he didn’t collect them. The security and his staff are witness to a lot of such incidents. He took whatever measures he could, including informing the police, instructing the security and his staff, to keep himself safe. But it’s bizarre when someone decides to file a case with such heinous charges against someone relating back to 2017, while in 2018, she was behaving completely different with him.”

THE LAW HAS BEEN MISUSED: SHERRIN VERGHESE
Karan’s friend and member of A Band Of Boys, Sherrin believes that the filing of the FIR, which led to Karan’s arrest, has been very well-timed by the girl. “This points out how the law has been misused and the person is deriving a certain kind of sadistic pleasure by doing it. You can’t force someone to love you and this is a clear case of one-sided love. The guy will go through hell just because somebody has misused the law. Having said that, we have complete faith in the law and judicial system of our country. We hope and pray that Karan sails through this.”

Pooja added, “While on one hand, she claims that Karan drugged and raped her, on the other, she says that he promised to marry her on the pretext of sex. She needs to make up her mind on whether he raped her or was she after him to marry her? There is a contradiction in her statements.”

SHE WAS PROPOSITIONING HIM FOR SEX — HOW DOES THAT BECOME RAPE: POOJA BEDI
It was also mentioned that the girl would send text messages to Karan from a new number every time the actor blocked her. Reading out a message Pooja said, “This was sent by the girl to Karan on January 13, 2017, and the message read... ‘Karan, I am being open and upfront. Can we have sex without thinking about the future, emotions or anything else just for now as my body needs it and I won’t be comfortable indulging with anyone else. So let me know what you think about it’. His reply to her was, ‘I am not in the frame of mind for it right now. I am way too preoccupied with my career’. It’s clear that she is propositioning him for sex, then how does that become rape?”

KARAN’S LAWYER TO APPLY FOR BAIL SOON
Karan’s lawyer Dinesh Tiwari said, “We will apply for bail either on May 9 or 10, and depending on the availability of the judge, the matter will be decided. Otherwise, remand will happen at the magistrate court on May 9. We will get their (Karan’s friends) statements recorded; they are witness to the acts of voodoo (by her). We will also get Karan’s staff Shiva’s statement recorded. He is an important witness. While the lady claims that she was drugged and raped in January, 2017, Shiva was with Karan throughout that time. He told us that the girl wasn’t allowed to enter the home, as she would carry a skull with her and would perform black magic. If you read her FIR, it’s extremely contradictory. While on the one hand, she says that she was raped, on the other hand, she says that she got gifts for him from Japan, she would give him money and was willing to marry him. Any prudent woman, who has been unfortunately raped, would never agree to the proposal of marriage.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 8, 2019)

Three days after Karan Oberoi was arrested on rape and extortion charges levelled against him by a fashion designer-and-healer, his friends have come out in support of him. Sudhanshu Pandey, Sherrin Verghese and Chaitanya Bhosle — the members of A Band Of Boys, the Indipop boy band formed in 2001, which also featured Karan — held a press conference last evening along with Karan’s sister Bani and his friend Pooja Bedi at the latter’s residence.

Hours before the conference was scheduled to be held, Sudhanshu told BT, “I have known Karan since two decades, and that’s a long time to know a person. All of us go through our shares of ups and downs in life, and Karan, too, has been through his own journey. I have seen the way he has reacted to situations. He is one of the most disciplined and compassionate guys I have ever come across. He has been extremely chivalrous with women. Had anything nasty been going on in his life, I would have known, as my in-laws stay a stone’s throw away from his home. All I can say is that the charges on him are unbelievable.”

Ask him if he knew about Karan’s association with this girl and he replies, “Not at all. I have known about Karan’s relationships; we are that close. But I have no clue about this particular girl.”

THE TIMES OF INDIA (May 7, 2019)

Mumbai: TV actor Karan Oberoi was arrested on Sunday after his former girlfriend pressed charges of rape against him. Officials of the Oshiwara police station said that the 33-year-old woman and the 44-year-old actor have known each other since 2016. The woman has alleged that the actor filmed her in objectionable positions after sedating her.

Oberoi was produced in the Andheri magistrate’s court on Monday. The court sent him to police custody till May 9.

Oberoi, a resident of Andheri (west), had met the woman, an astrologer, through a dating app three years ago. The two met several times over the next few months and grew friendly.

According to the woman’s complaint, Oberoi called her to his residence on one occasion. He offered her a beverage which was allegedly spiked. After the woman felt dizzy, she was allegedly raped. She also accused Oberoi of filming the act.

“The woman has complained that between 2016 and 2018, Oberoi blackmailed her using the video. He demanded money from her and threatened to leak the video if she refused,” said Shailesh Pasalwad, senior inspector, Oshiwara police station.

The police said that the woman had submitted chat messages exchanged between her and Oberoi besides evidence to indicate that he took money from her. “After the victim approached us on Saturday, we registered an FIR against Oberoi,” Pasalwad added.

Oberoi was a member of India’s first Hindi boy band called ‘Band of Boys’ and also starred in the TV show ‘Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi’.
------------------------------------
Karan Oberoi and the fashion designer-and-healer, who has accused him of rape, had spoken to BT in October 2018, when they first approached the police. Both of them contradicted each other's stories at that time. Read on...
Neha Maheshwari and Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; May 7, 2019)

Karan Oberoi, who has acted in TV shows like Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Saaya, Dishayen and was a part of the music group A Band of Boys, has been arrested by Mumbai police on charges of rape by a fashion designer-and-healer. The Oshiwara police lodged an FIR against Karan under Section 376 (rape) and 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code. Shailesh Pasalwad, Senior Police Inspector, Oshiwara Police Station, told BT, “Karan has been charged with rape. He has also been accused of filming the act and demanding money from the victim, and threatening to release the video if she didn’t pay up.” On the morning of May 6, the actor was produced in the Andheri Court and he has been taken into police custody till May 9.

FLASHBACK
A non-cognisable complaint (NC) was lodged by the woman against Karan in October 2018, where she accused him of using her financially. Incidentally, Karan, too, had filed an NC against her for mental harassment 10 days before that. At that point, the girl had reached out to Bombay Times and lashed out at Karan, revealing details about their association. When BT contacted Karan, he presented his version of the story. Both their versions clearly contradicted the other. Soon after that, the girl did not want to go public with the story. Given that he has now been accused of rape and extortion, we are producing excerpts from the conversation that we had with both of them...

 WHAT THE GIRL TOLD BT IN OCTOBER 2018
“Karan and I got in touch on a dating app. Initially, he asked me to share basic pictures, followed by nudes, with him guiding me on how they should be taken. We met in October 2016, and got intimate for the first time. We met again four days later and when I told him that I am into healing, he requested me to help him in his career. I started helping him and that’s how I began spending money on him. I replaced his fake gemstones with expensive ones, which cost me around Rs 90,000. He said that he would pay me later, but never did. In May 2017, he told me that his house had been mortgaged and he didn’t want to lose it. I gave him over a lakh for several months to help him save his house. I would give him money otherwise, too, for his expenses. Just doing up his house cost me around Rs 4 lakh and I also bought him a karaoke console, refrigerator, laptop and a mobile phone. He would ask me to get expensive things for him whenever I travelled abroad for my work. The demands were covert — he would tell me that he has been planning to buy a particular item since long, but hasn’t been able to because of money constraints, knowing that I would buy it for him. We were like a couple. However, he never committed and told me that he didn’t want to be in that space as he had been cheated on in his previous relationships. We would often fight over it, but I would keep returning to him after swearing to end the relationship. I felt bad for pressurising him to commit to me while he was going through the stress of losing his house and facing a financial crunch. He also said that had he been better off financially, he would never have let me go. Besides the fact that he never committed to me, the last nail in the coffin was when someone close to him told me that he was just using me. That’s when I asked Karan to return everything I gave him, but he flatly refused. Right now, my biggest concern are the suggestive pictures and videos that we exchanged. In fact, he wanted to shoot us while having sex, but I declined. I am not sure whether he has deleted them or not, though he tells me he has. But for my sanity, I need to be certain that the pictures have been deleted.”

WHAT KARAN OBEROI TOLD BT IN OCTOBER 2018
“I may have flirted with her initially, but then, I am a single guy. There was absolutely no relationship, intimacy or sex between us. I have blocked her from everywhere, as I figured her out almost immediately. She said that her father used to hit her and that no man has ever loved her. I just lent her a sympathetic ear because of what she had claimed to have been through. She told me that she is into occult and wanted to come out of it and pursue an alternative profession. She then suggested that she could do up my house and I decided to help her by allowing her to do that. That was the biggest mistake of my life. I have two houses in Mumbai and neither of them has been mortgaged. I gave her cash to buy items for my home, as she offered me a better deal. Every piece of furniture and other things that she is claiming to have bought for me, including my clothes, have been paid for by me. After getting fed up of her intrusion, around six months ago, I gave standing instructions to the guard of my building that this woman should not be allowed to come up to my flat. She cut her wrist once and threatened me that she would have me booked for abetment of suicide. I figured out that something was amiss and that’s when I decided to distance myself from her. While she is claiming to be in a relationship even now, I distanced myself in August 2016. If you think just because I send you hugs and love you are in a relationship with me, you must be really twisted, because then I’d be in a relationship with 50,000 women. I have never robbed a woman of her dignity, but this is not normal. I am the victim here. I have lived a nightmare for these two years. The only reason I would answer her calls once in a while was to protect my family, as I feared that she could harm them with black magic. My worry was my mother and my health woes, as she claimed that she had the power to do anything. I have been through hell just because I declined her requests of getting into a relationship with her or have any kind of intimacy with her. She filed an NC against me after she learnt about my complaint. In fact, on the day of filing the NC, she called me and said that she was at the cop station and told me that she would ruin my life if I didn’t marry her the next day. I have blocked several numbers from which she called me. If you are willing to stoop to any level to get your way, where does it end?”

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; November 15, 2017)

Yesteryear classic Chaudhvin Ka Chand just got erotic, and netizens aren’t happy. The melodious 1960 track, belted out by Mohammed Rafi, has been recreated by Karan Oberoi of Band Of Boys fame. The music video features him getting intimate with model Raina Ahluwalia.

While Oberoi’s industry pals have been raving about it, with R Madhavan calling it ‘awesome’ and Pooja Bedi terming it ‘sizzling hot’, web users are outraged, accusing Oberoi of “pedaling soft porn”, “making it look like a condom ad” and “turning a gem into a gutter stone.”

However, Oberoi has now come out in defence of his rendition, stating, “The song is sensual, but it’s not a sleaze fest. It has a modern-day approach. Everybody is entitled to an opinion. It’s not my place to question them. My intention was not to turn a classic song that I have loved to something that offends people. If this is termed soft porn, then every Enrique Iglesias video would be deemed the same. But we seem to accept and celebrate it as erotic, sensual and romantic. Instead of copying the original, I have given it a real-life contemporary touch.”

The singer-actor admits that he initially had reservations about creating it, especially owing to the cult status that the original has acquired. But, he decided to go forth after consideration. “After jamming with my band, I came up with something that sounded right, and I went on to create it. I have written the story as well.”

The number is part of his 15-track album, Retronica, the music of which has also been produced by Oberoi, along with his band, Sunoh. “The idea was to create a storyline and narrative, like the industry witnessed in the good ol’ days when indie pop was popular.”

The video, directed by ad filmmaker Shashi Bhushan, follows a young fan of Oberoi, one who turns up at his film’s set to meet him. Finding him shooting a sexual scene, the fan fantasises about getting between the sheets with him. As her dream ends, she realises he isn’t the man she pictured him to be, as Oberoi greets her with a namaste and walks away. “The song chronicles life in the industry. It appears glossy, but the truth is far from that,” says Oberoi.