#MeToo: Alok Nath moves court for anticipatory bail

Actor Alok Nath, who is accused of rape by a woman writer-producer Vinta Nanda, has filed anticipatory bail application on Friday in a Mumbai court. The plea for pre-arrest bail was filed before Additional Sessions Judge S S Oza on Thursday. The court on Friday adjourned the matter to December 20, after the complainant’s lawyer sought time to file an intervention plea opposing bail for Nath.

A rape case was registered against Nath by the Mumbai Police on November 21 based on a complaint filed by the writer-producer who accused him, in a social media post, of raping her 19 years ago.

However, Nath refuted the allegations and filed a civil suit against the complainant, seeking Re 1 as damages for defaming him. Though she did not name Nath in the post, the complainant referred to him as the actor who is known as the ‘most Sanskari person’.

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Later, the Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) also expelled the veteran actor from the association. The statement reads, In view of the various allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Mr Alok Nath, after due diligence and consideration, the Executive Committee of CINTAA has decided to expel him from the Association’’.

The #MeToo movement started as a hashtag on Twitter in the year 2017 after popular Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and assault by over 70 women. And now after 11 good years, India too is caught up in the stormy winds of the #MeToo movement and Tanushree Dutta recently reignited the movement with her allegations against the famous face of Bollywood – Nana Patekar –of sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss where the actress was supposed to be a part of an item number.

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Alok Nath is popularly known for playing characters endorsing moral values or ‘sanskar’ in Bollywood films such as Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun!, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Vivah.