After filing a case of domestic violence and cheating against her husband, Adil Khan Durrani, with the Oshiwara police on February 6, Rakhi Sawant has now levelled new allegations against him. She says he shot her nude videos and may have even sold them. Here’s looking at all the drama that has unfolded over the past week...

The Oshiwara police registered an FIR against Adil under Sections 377, 498A and 406 of the IPC. In the FIR, Rakhi has accused him of domestic violence, cheating and stealing her jewellery and cash. Senior Police Inspector Manohar Dhanawade said, “Whether the allegations are true or not, we will find out soon.”

While many call the actress a drama queen, who often does things for publicity, Rakhi says, “My life is full of tragedy. How can people call it drama? I am depressed and not keeping well. I want justice.”

Talking about her case, she says, “I got married to Adil on May 29, 2022, but the marriage did not turn out the way I wanted it to. He used to beat me and he has taken away my money amounting to Rs. 1.5 crore. I have submitted my bank statements to the police.”

It’s not part of the FIR, but Rakhi now says Adil shot nude videos of her on their honeymoon and later threatened her that if she went to the police or told anyone about it, he would make the videos public. “He used to tell me that he enjoyed taking nude videos, and hence he shot mine. I kept quiet then. But I have had enough now. I don’t know what he has done with the videos, he may have sold them. Adil has also cheated on me; he has had an affair with someone. Recently I also got to know that he was previously married and divorced; he had never told me that,” alleges Rakhi.

Rakhi’s mother passed away on January 29. At the time, Adil was spotted with her throughout. He was also seen standing by her side when she had to appear at Amboli police station in the Sherlyn Chopra case (Sherlyn accused her of leaking inappropriate photos and videos of her online) on January 19. So what changed in just a few days, we ask.

Rakhi says, “There were problems between us, but Adil was acting in front of the paparazzi and trying to show that he was very supportive.”

Refuting Rakhi’s charges, Neeraj Gupta, Adil Khan Durrani’s lawyer, says, “All this is pre-planned. The allegations are all baseless. Do you feel Rakhi Sawant is so weak that any guy can beat her and she will take it all without a word? Adil comes from a good family background and does not need to take money from her or shoot her videos. Rakhi had got money from her earlier husband, Ritesh, when they separated, and now she is doing this with Adil. I have submitted all proofs in court, including his bank statements.”

Actor Sanjay Dutt's non-appearance on the sets of  'Jaan Ki Baazi' had led to a case against him in 2013 and on Saturday, his non-appearance in court resulted in a bailable warrant.

A metropolitan magistrate in Andheri had issued summons to Dutt to appear before it in a private complaint filed by film producer Shakeel Noorani in 2013. Noorani's lawyer Neeraj Gupta made a plea for issuance of non-bailable warrant against him on Saturday. Gupta contended that after his release from prison last February, Dutt did not appear in court on the “last four dates“. The magistrate then issued a bailable warrant and posted the matter for hearing on August 29.

Noorani has alleged that he received threats from the underworld at Dutt's behest. His case is that while Dutt took a signing amount of Rs 50 lakh, he completed only two days of shooting and never appear after that.
Dutt's spokesperson said, “This case has been going on since a long time and the present situation has arisen because of a communication lapse between our lawyers and us. We respect the urgency shown by the court regarding our attendance and we would take immediate measure to rectify the situation.“

Music composer and singer Ankit Tiwari was arrested in May 2014 for allegedly raping a woman. The 28-year-old accused him of raping her repeatedly between October 2012 and December 2013 on the pretext of marriage. A month later, he was out on bail. Last month, Ankit had applied for discharge application in the Sessions Court. Now, the alleged victim has decided to challenge his appeal at the hearing on May 9. She says, “I didn't pursue the case further at the accused party's request. Now, they are spreading stories of me backing out for money, which is not true. I'll be there on Monday to challenge it.“

Ankit's lawyer Neeraj Gupta says, “We are not aware of this new development, but we will try our best to get the discharge application approved.“

Rahul Raj Singh, who is out on bail, has now taken on those who levelled allegations against him and held him responsible for his girlfriend, actress Pratyusha Banerjee's death. He has filed a case against lawyer Neeraj Gupta in the BAR Council of Maharashtra, for representing himself as his lawyer without any documents signed between the two parties. From giving statements on his behalf to accusing him of duping several girls, including Pratyusha, Neeraj claimed to have backed out of the case on moral grounds. Rahul claims, “He has tarnished my image. He accused me of pushing Pratyusha into drugs, hitting her and siphoning money from her. He also accused me of having no source of income and being a fraud. He was never my lawyer but a self-appointed one. It's his moral duty to not talk about his client in the media. Some others also accused me, saying they wanted to know the truth... but now, I am fighting back to know the truth. Where are they now? They are either attending parties or holidaying abroad. They gave statements at that time to come in the limelight.“

He also plans to file a defamation case against actress Kamya Punjabi, producer Vikas Gupta and common friend Leena Dias. Rahul adds, “Kamya owes Pratyusha Rs 2.5 lakh. Pratyusha had even messaged her once asking for the money. Vikas claimed that he had a video of me slapping Pratyusha. I demand to see it. His claims of offering her work are also false. I plan to file a defamation case against him, Kamya and Leena, who is my rakhi sister. Apart from me they have also tarnished Pratyusha's image. Now, they will have to answer in court. I have full faith in the judiciary.“

Asserting that he wants answers to a few questions too, Rahul states, “I want Neeraj to show me the waqalatnama (documents). Where are the papers suggesting that he was ever hired as my lawyer? Where is my nine-year-old son whom he has spoken about? I want to see him. I demand to know who has my child and who is paying for his education. I want to see the proof of me cheating people. If I have no income then how have I repaid some of Pratyusha's debts? If she wasn't happy with me, why did she move into my house and want to marry me? And Rakhi Sawant, please show me a call record proving that we have ever spoken, let alone having my video.“

The latest twist in the Pratyusha Banerjee alleged suicide case is that her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh's former lawyer, Neeraj Gupta, has decided to file a petition against him if the investigation doesn't shape up as it should. “Rahul can't escape. There is evidence against him,“ says the lawyer.

Neeraj adds he didn't want to defend the actor-producer on moral grounds. He elaborates, “I was with Rahul throughout to ensure that his interest as my client is protected. He told me that he and Pratyusha were happy together and she had even ordered a wedding lehenga three days before the incident. He also said that she was out of work for about a year and her parents had blown up all her money. She was in a lot of debt as they had taken a loan on high interest rate in her name. As a result, she was under tremendous stress and allegedly committed suicide due to the same reason.“ Neeraj adds, “When I took up the matter, I realised that the entire television industry was against him. However, the news of his marriage, child and illicit relationship with Saloni Sharma surfaced later. This was contrary to what I was told by his family. They had said he is a bachelor. I also realised that Rahul's story about not being in contact with Saloni since his break-up wasn't true either. Even now, they are in touch with each other. Apparently, she was present at the hospital where Pratyusha was admitted. She called his aunt after he was admitted to the hospital. I advised Rahul's family to avoid her calls as it would have had an adverse effect on the case. But they continued to speak to her in private. Rahul had also told me that he and Pratyusha were partying with a common friend the day before she committed suicide, but at the hospital, he gave me a different version. He said that he had invited friends over to finish some leftover alcohol from the Holi party. I realised that he was lying and warned him that it would affect the case. When I confronted his father about Rahul's marriage, he admitted to it later after feigning shock. He dismissed it by saying the girl was not good enough and avoided the question pertaining to Rahul's son. I wanted to file an FIR, but when it became apparent that they kept lying, I decided to opt out of the case. It was a call of the conscience.“

Ask him if he was paid his fees and Neeraj replies, “Though I reminded Rahul and his family several times to give me my advance fee, they kept dilly-dallying. In fact, I ended up spending from my own pocket.“

Speaking of Rahul's financial status, the lawyer says, “He was not doing anything. He bagged his last show because of Pratyusha. The police must investigate the loans taken by her and the number of accounts she had. They should find out who made monetary transactions from her accounts and who was the actual beneficiary. While Pratyusha's parents believe that he was possessive, that's not the truth. He wanted her off his back. She got so deeply involved with him that she cut herself off from the world. She got into addictions. Perhaps when she realised that he was planning to leave her, she felt that there was nothing left in her life. Had her career been going well, she may have sustained.“ As for Rahul's health condition, he says, “He was unwell on April 2, but I can't say anything about his health today.“ Commenting on Pratyusha's parents, he says, “They should have stayed with her and guided her.“

Meanwhile, Rahul's father Harshvardhan says, “Neeraj was never appointed by us to fight the case and there has been no documentation. In fact, he made us meet Ashok Saraogi, who is our lawyer. We are grateful to him for standing by us those few days and arranging our stay at his office. He was also there with us at the police station, but there has been no involvement in the case at his end. We are upset with him for giving statements on our behalf to the media. He is probably seeking publicity out of the case. We have been refraining from commenting on the case or anything as advised by our lawyer.“

Talking about the next step after the court rejected Rahul's plea for anticipatory bail, he says, “We will now appeal to the Bombay High Court as and when advised by Saraogi.“

Regarding Rahul's health, he says, “He is still in the ICU and the doctors have advised him rest.“

Rahul Raj Singh, Pratyusha Banerjee's boyfriend, who has been at the centre of controversy since the actress' untimely demise on April 1, was rushed to Sai Hospital at Kandivali around 11.45 am yesterday after he complained of bad health caused by trauma. He was supposed to report at the Bangur Nagar police station, but his lawyer and parents had to take him to the hospital. His lawyer Neeraj Gupta told BT, “Rahul's health is in a bad state as he is extremely depressed and traumatised. He had to report to the police station for further questioning, but his health deteriorated before he could reach my office.“

Rahul Raj, the actor-producer boyfriend of television actor Pratyusha Banerjee who committed suicide on Friday, was detained for questioning on Saturday as he had gone incommunicado the previous night. He was released at 11pm. No foul play is suspected so far. The autopsy showed ligature marks on the actor's neck and a history of asphyxia.

After Pratyusha, who made her name playing Anandi in 'Balika Vadhu', hanged herself in her Goregaon flat on Friday, Rahul rushed her to hospital and informed the cops. Thereafter, he dialled someone well-versed in law. On the man's advice, Rahul slipped away from the hospital and switched off his phone. As a result, the police picked him up on Saturday as he had behaved in a suspicious manner.

“Pratyusha's parents said she had told them about frequent fights with Rahul but the two usually patched up. They have not made any complaint against Rahul. They want us to probe what drove Pratyusha to the edge and if Rahul was responsible,“ said an official.

Family, friends and neighbours of TV actor Pratyusha Banerjee said she and her boyfriend Rahul Raj were in a tumultuous relationship. “Rahul was opposed to her drinking and the two bickered a lot about it. They were also facing financial trouble,“ said a police official. Rahul was married to an airhostess earlier and had got divorced.

“Around 12.30pm on Friday, I left home to drop my house help to the railway station. I heard Pratyusha howling inside her flat. I wondered if I should knock and ask what the matter was. But I decided against it as it was their personal matter. After learning of her death, I wish I had knocked,“ said actor Anuj Sachdeva, a neighbour of the couple.

On Friday afternoon, Rahul left home to meet someone. He called up Pratyusha who sounded “very depressed“. He then decided to return home and picked up food for her. But on reaching home, he could not find his keys. He went back to a paan stall where he had forgotten these. Praltyusha had double-locked the door so he couldn't get in. He tried to open the door unsuccessfully with his car tools before summoning a keymaker.

“The keymaker struggled to unlock the door. Meanwhile, a cook working in an adjacent flat offered to enter the window of Pratyusha's flat from outside. The cook saw Pratyusha hanging from the fan and let Rahul and the keymaker into the house. Rahul held the body while the keymaker cut off the dupatta she had used for hanging,“ said a resident.

Once the body was brought down, Rahul tried mouth-to mouth resuscitation to revive Pratyusha. He then took her into the elevator and rushed her to Kokilaben Dhirubha Ambani Hospital in Andheri where she was declared dead.

Seven statements were recorded by the police on Saturday, including that of the key maker. The CCTV footage of he Goregaon society, which shows Rahul leaving and returning, has been seized. Inspector Deepak Phatangare is leading the probe.

A search of Rahul's apartment by the cops revealed two cellphones and liquor bottles The sofa was stained with cigarette stub marks.

Rahul's lawyer Neeraj Gupta said, “Rahul has nothing to do with the suicide. Let the evidence come forward. He should not be declared a culprit right now.“

Speaking to mediapersons at Siddharth Hospital on Saturday, Rahul said he had not fought with Pratyusha. “We were very happy together and planned to get married soon. Pratyusha was worried about work offers but I was taking care of her. I don't know why Pratyusha decided to end her life. I was scared to see her hanging and tried to resuscitate her. I took her to the hospital in my arms and informed the police too. We were in love. Now, she has left me and gone away,“ he said, breaking down.

Meanwhile, actor Sara Khan said Pratyusha had attempted suicide twice in the past two months. Khan's maid worked at her place earlier. The maid told Sara a few days ago that Pratyusha had tried to consume poison once and on another occasion, she had tried to jump off her balcony. The maid had rescued her both times, said Sara and added that Pratyusha was keen on marrying Rahul. She would sometimes wear sindoor and had even kept her bridal lehenga ready. Sara alleged that Rahul used to comment on Pratyusha's previous relationships.