A bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and NR Borkar issued notice to the State and the complainant asked the prosecution to inform the Court about the progress of the investigation and trial arising out of the case.
The matter will be heard again on September 19.
The complainant had alleged in her complaint that she was drugged and raped by Pancholi during her initial years in the film industry, and that he had taken advantage of her between 2004 to 2006 when he blackmailed her and coerced her into forceful relationships.
She had also Pancholi had physically abused her too.
Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, representing Pancholi, told the Court on Tuesday that despite passage of 3 years, the Mumbai Police had not filed chargesheet yet in the case.
The plea filed through advocate Zoheb Shaikh pointed out that not filing of the chargesheet indicated that there has been no progress in the investigation.
It was contended that in the event there is no evidence in the case, the ideal step for the prosecution is to file a B-Summary report (closure report).
“The case is pending since 2019, and petitioner (Pancholi) is living in the stigma of the prosecution,” the petition emphasized.
Source: Barandbench
