Actor and rape accused Alok Nath's bail has been approved by the Dindoshi sessions court, while applying certain conditions on the actor's movement. Responding to the decision, writer-director Vinta Nanda stated that she 'respects' the order because she 'trusts the process of law.'
Nanda had filed a complaint against Nath in November 2018 of assaulting and raping her in 1998. The police had charged Alok Nath on the same based on Nanda's complaint. The actor had applied for bail in the same context, which was accepted by the Dindoshi sessions court on Saturday.
The 15-page order by judge SS Oza noted that the delay in Nanda's filing of the complaint may have been 'for her own benefit'. The judge also observed that the allegation might be inspired by Nanda's 'unrequited and un-reciprocated love' with Nath.
The Quint quoted Nanda as saying, "I respect the order because I trust the process of law. Like all other predators, so has Alok Nath denied allegations against him and it is expected that he would do that. In his application for anticipatory bail, he has cast aspersions on my character, which was expected and tried to mislead the court by cooking up stories which are completely false and untrue. I have clarified each point by which Alok Nath and his team tried to mislead the court through an intervention made by my lawyers."
However, Nanda added that because the case was between Nath and the state, her recommendations were taken in limited study by the court.
The writer-director added that Nath's bail plea was redundant as he has been placed under certain restrictions by the court. The court has set five conditions for Nath primarily that he shall not visit Nanda's house, or commit an offense similar to which he has been accused. The court has also warned the actor not to directly or indirectly make any threat or inducement to the persons involved in the case. In addition, the actor has to make himself available to the police for interrogation and cannot leave the country without intimating the officials beforehand.
Adding to her response, Nanda was quoted saying that Nath's expulsion from the Cine and Television Artiste's Association (CINTAA) is a sign of improvement. She said, "CINTAA has already expelled Alok Nath after having concluded that I’m telling the truth and after having heard not just what Alok Nath has done to me but also having heard what he has done to all the other victims of his assaults. You can’t say that Sandhya Mridul, Navneet Nishan, Himani Shivpuri, Deepika Amin and all those other women who have still not gathered the strength to come out publicly are lying and only Alok Nath is telling the truth."
Soon after the decision, actress Mridul took to Twitter to express her support for Nanda, saying,"You're not getting away. Not yet. With you, Vinta Nanda."
The hearing on Nath's defamation case against Nanda has been scheduled for February.