The Himachal Pradesh High Court has quashed a 2018 FIR against veteran actor Jeetendra for allegedly molesting his cousin 48 years ago. In her complaint, the cousin had accused the actor of trying to sexually assault her at a Shimla hotel room in 1971. A petition to dismiss the FIR was subsequently filed by Jeetendra.
Ruling in favour of the actor’s petition, the court on Monday agreed that the complaint was ‘mala fide’ since the cousin’s daughter was rejected in an audition by Balaji Motion Pictures Limited, a film and distribution company owned by Kapoor.
It also noted that particulars of the complaint were ‘vague’ and ‘inherently improbable’, thereby dismissing it as insufficient ground for proceeding against the accused.
A subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms, Balaji Motion Pictures was founded by Jeetendra in 2001 and is managed by his wife Shobha Kapoor and daughter Ekta Kapoor. In a career spanning five decades, the veteran actor has starred in several blockbusters and remakes of South Indian films.