A charge sheet was filed by the Mumbai Police against Bollywood choreographer Ganesh Acharya accusing him of sexual harassment, stalking, and voyeurism in a case filed back in 2020 by a co-dancer. The complaint was investigated by Oshiwara police officer Sandeep Shinde, who informed that the charge sheet was filed recently in a metropolitan magistrate court at Andheri. Acharya, who choreographed the chart-buster 'Oo Antava Oo Oo Antava' featured on Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa, has been charged along with his assistant under sections 354-a (sexual harassment), 354-c (voyeurism ), 354-d (stalking), 509 (insulting the modesty of any woman), 323 (causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code.
This is not the first time such charges have been levied against Acharya as he has been accused of sexual harassment by a few co-artistes, which he has denied stating them to be "false and baseless". The popular choreographer's lawyer Ravi Suryavanshi has said that the police have not informed them about the charge sheet. "I don’t have the charge sheet so I cannot say anything, but all the sections in the FIR were bailable," Suryavanshi stated.
The assistant choreographer, who filed the complaint against Acharya, alleged that he was harassing her after she turned down his sexual advances, including passing lewd comments and showing her porn movies, while also molesting her. She further stated that the hit choreographer allegedly told her that she would have to compromise and indulge in sexual relations with him if she has to succeed in the film industry. Six months after the woman refused, the Indian Film and Television Choreographers Association had terminated her membership. During a meeting in 2020, the assistant choreographer had opposed Acharya's past actions, who allegedly abused her, while adding that his assistants assaulted her. She said, "The female assistants beat me up, abused me and defamed me after which I went to the police who refused to lodge a complaint and merely registered a non-cognisable case. Then I contacted a lawyer to take the matter further."
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