MUMBAI: Model Preeti Jain, who accused and filed a case of rape against filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar in 2004, was on Friday sentenced to three years in jail and fined Rs 10,000 by a city civil court here on Friday, for plotting to kill Bhandarkar.
Two of Jain’s associates – Naresh Pardeshi and Shivram Das – were also sentenced to three years on charges of conspiracy, aiding and abetting crime. The trio was, however, granted bail on cash surety of Rs 15,000. They have been given four weeks to file an appeal in the Bombay high court.
The model-turned-actress who worked in low budget films, had lodged a complaint in 2004 alleging that the national award-winning filmmaker had raped her several times between 1999 and 2004 on the pretext of marrying her and casting her in his films.
In September 2011, a Mumbai metropolitan court directed Madhur Bhandarkar, the director of movies like Page 3 and Fashion, to face trial in the case. Two months later, the director was granted anticipatory bail.
The apex court bench of Justice HL Dattu and Justice CK Prasad quashed the charges in 2012 after it was reported that the actress was no longer interested in pursuing the matter.
In September 2005, almost a year after she filed the complaint, Preeti Jain reportedly gave the “contract” to kill Madhur Bhandarkar to gangster Arun Gawli’s aide Naresh Pardeshi. She allegedly paid Rs 75,000 for the job.
However, Jain asked for a refund as the plan never materialised. The issue reached Gawli, who then sent his men to alert the police.
After a week-long probe, police registered a case on September 10, 2005. Naresh Pardesi was arrested the same day and Preeti Jain was picked up while she was on her way to Versova police station.
Police later arrested Pardeshi’s friend Shivram Das, who allegedly helped him arrange for weapons and shooters.
Madhur Bhandarkar reacted to the verdict with a tweet, “Some things are better left unsaid! Some things are better left as they are. Life moves on, so have I.”