The Telangana High Court has granted conditional bail to famous Tollywood choreographer Jani Master in a case of alleged sexual harassment of a junior female colleague. Jani Master will now be released after spending more than a month in jail.
Interim bail case: The Ranga Reddy district court had earlier granted interim bail to Jani Master on October 3 so that he could attend the 70th National Film Awards ceremony held in Delhi on October 8. He was granted bail for four days from October 6.
Award withdrawn from choreographer: Jani Master, whose real name is Sheikh Jani Basha, was to receive an award for the song 'Megham Karukkatha' from the film 'Thiruchitrambalam'. However, due to a case registered against him under POCSO, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cancelled his award and also withdrew the invitation to attend the function.
What are the allegations? Last month, a 21-year-old female choreographer accused Jani Master of sexual abuse. According to the police, the victim claimed that Jani Master sexually abused her for a long time during a project in Mumbai in 2020 and also threatened her not to tell anyone. The victim told the police that she came in contact with Jani in 2017 and became his assistant in 2019.
Legal action: The Raidurgam police in Cyberabad filed an FIR in the case on September 15. Subsequently, the case was re-registered at the Narsingi police station. Jani Master was charged under sections 376(2)(n), 506 and 323 of the Indian Penal Code for rape, criminal intimidation, and assault.
Police said the victim was a minor when the crime took place, so section 5(l) r/w 6 of the POCSO Act was also added to the charges. Now the victim is 21 years old and has alleged that the choreographer sexually assaulted her in several cities, including Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
Arrest of Jani Master: Cyberabad police arrested Jani Master in Goa on September 19, after which a Hyderabad court sent him to judicial custody. The police also interrogated Jani Master for four days.
Choreographer Career: Jani Master has also choreographed the songs 'Aai Nahi' from 'Stree 2' and 'Srivalli' from 'Pushpa'. Both of these songs became very popular, and their dance moves were well liked by the audience.
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