#MeToo: Vikas Bahl Slams Victim’s Decision to Not File a Complaint

The arguments were made during the hearing of a defamation suit filed by Bahl against Anurag Kashyap and others.

Director-producer Vikas Bahl.

(Photo courtesy: Facebook)

Filmmaker Vikas Bahl on Tuesday, 23 October came down strongly against the woman who accused him of sexual harassment, saying that she cannot be asked to be left alone after levelling allegations against him.

The victim had on 19 October submitted to the Bombay Hight Court that she did not want to file a complaint against Vikas Bahl.

Responding to this, Bahl's lawyer said:

“It is not that easy to walk away from things. She is thinking only about her life, she isn’t thinking that my image will be maligned. Now, the plaintiff (Bahl) is in a position where it would be impossible to establish that the claims were malicious. It is not enough for the victim to make these assertions to the defendants (Kashyap and Motwane), the press and then be asked to left alone.”

Vikas Bahl’s lawyer

The statements were made at a hearing of the Rs 10 crore defamation suit that Vikas Bahl had filed in Bombay High Court against Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.

In the defamation suit, Bahl has accused Kashyap, Motwane and various media houses of publishing false, malicious and unsubstantiated allegations against him. Notably, Kashyap and Motwane have supported the allegations made by the alleged victim against Bahl.

Arguing that the woman is not ready to take the case to a logical end, Bahl's counsel on Tuesday added that her version cannot be believed without cross-examination.

The lawyer also slammed Anurag Kashyap, questioning why he did not do anything about the incident earlier, while reiterating that his actions now were only indicative of his intent to settle personal scores with Bahl.

Replying to Bahl's counsel, Kashyap and Motwane's lawyers asserted, "No amount of nitpicking is going to change what happened on the night of 4th and 5th (4 and 5 May 2015, when the alleged sexual harassment incident is said to have taken place). Is this the sort of sensitivity that should be shown in cases like these? At least three actors have come out publicly and said this man has a tendency to misbehave."

Kashyap and Motwane's lawyers claimed that when Kashyap confronted Vikas Bahl, he confessed to making sexual advances towards the victim against her wish and broke down.

“Bahl is not afraid of the victim. He is more afraid of more women coming forward. He is afraid of skeletons being buried in his cupboard.”

Kashyap and Motwane’s lawyers

The hearing on 23 October came after the high court had reportedly pointed out on 19 October that the #MeToo movement cannot be misused by anybody.

The next hearing in the case will be on Thursday, 25 October, Justice SJ Kathawalla said.

(With inputs from Bar and Bench)