Mumbai: Actor Alok Nath, accused of rape by a female writer-producer, was granted anticipatory bail by a Mumbai court Saturday. Additional sessions judge S.S. Oza granted pre-arrest bail to Nath on a surety bond of Rs 5 lakh; this means that if the police arrests the actor, he will have to be released on bail after executing a bond.
The court put the condition that he should not tamper evidence or threaten witnesses in the case. A case of rape under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Nath by the city police on November 21.
On October 8, the writer-producer accused Nath of raping her 20 years ago when she was working in the television show Tara. The complainant first leveled the allegation in a social media post in October last year.
She alleged that Nath had sexually assaulted her on more than one occasion after he was fired from the 1993 show for misbehaving with its lead actor, Navneet Nishan. Initially, the complainant did not name Nath in her post but referred to him as the actor known for his most sanskari roles. Subsequently, she filed a police complaint.
Nath is known for his portrayal of characters with high moral and family values in films such as Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Hum Saath Saath Hain, and Vivaah. Nath has denied the allegations. Nath and his wife Ashu responded to the allegations by filing a defamation suit in the Dindoshi sessions court, seeking '1 in damages. On October 17, the screen-writer filed a complaint against Nath at the Oshiwara police station. He was booked for rape by the Mumbai Police on November 21.
