NEW DELHI: Actor Salman Khan was on Wednesday summoned by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women to explain his ‘rape comment’ even as the National Commission for Women said they were not satisfied with his reply, which was ‘not apologetic’.
Close on the heels of the MSCW issuing fresh summons scheduled for July 7 to the star, the NCW said it found the actor’s reply over the remark as “not apologetic”.
Khan courted controversy last week when he said he felt like a “raped woman” after a particularly gruelling shooting schedule.
While the National Commission for Women had asked him to apologise publicly, failing which he would be summoned, the state women’s panel had asked him to appear before it on Wednesday.
In a letter to the State women’s commission, the actor said since the case was already being heard by the NCW, it could not be taken up by the state panel.
“The commission and its members today went through the letter given by the actor and we found it unsatisfactory. The letter says that case is already being heard by NCW and hence it would amount to a case of double jeopardy.
“But we are of the view that our state commission has been conferred with concurrent powers and the case can be heard at both the places simultaneously,” MSCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said.
The commission has now summoned the actor to appear before it on July 7, she said.
Meanwhile, NCW chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam said Khan’s reply was “not apologetic” and that the panel was examining its mandate to deal with such instances and the legalities involved.
“Salman Khan has sent a reply and it is not apologetic in tenor. We now need to decide what we are going to do next. We have to look at both what comes under our mandate and what are the legalities involved...
“We are not going to give out the details of Salman Khan’s reply now. We need to first go through it in detail, along with our lawyers. Only then will both his reply and what we are going to do next will be made public,” she said.
The reply was e-mailed to NCW through Salman’s lawyer on Tuesday evening, while the NCW notice was sent directly to the actor’s residence.