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The Rangareddy district court had earlier on October 3 granted interim bail to Jani Master so that he could receive the National Film Award at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony to be held in Delhi on October 8. He was granted bail for four days from October 6. Sheikh Jani Basha aka Jani Master was to receive the award for his choreography in the song “Megham Karukkatha” from the movie “Thiruchithrambalam”.
However, following the court order, the National Film Awards Cell under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting canceled the award as he was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. The invitation given to the choreographer for the ceremony was also withdrawn. Last month, a 21-year-old female choreographer accused Jani Master of sexual harassment. According to the police, the victim alleged that Jani Master sexually assaulted her during a work trip to Mumbai in 2020 and continued the sexual assault and threatened her not to tell anyone.
The complainant told the police that she came in contact with the choreographer in 2017 and in 2019 she became his assistant. Raidurgam police of Cyberabad registered a zero FIR on September 15. Subsequently, the case was re-registered at Narsingi police station. The accused was booked under sections 376 (2) (n), 506 and 323 of the Indian Penal Code for rape, criminal intimidation and assault.
Police said that after recording the victim's statement, it was revealed that she was a minor at the time of the crime. Therefore, Section 5(l) r/w 6 of the POCSO Act was also added to the charges. The victim, who is now 21, alleged that the choreographer sexually assaulted her on several occasions in different cities, including Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Cyberabad Police had arrested Jani Master in Goa on September 19 and a Hyderabad court had sent him to judicial custody. The police also interrogated him for four days
(IANS)
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