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Welcome actor Vijay Raaz gets acquitted by court in 2020 s*xual harassment case: All you need to know
Vijay Raaz finally got relief in the 2020 s*xual harassment case. Read on to know why the court acquitted him.
Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual harassment.
Vijay Raaz is a popular face in the Hindi film industry. Back in 2020, the Run actor made headlines after he was accused of s*xually harassing a female co-worker on the sets of Vidya Balan-led Sherni. Five years later, the actor has finally got relief in the case as a Maharashtra court acquitted him on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
According to a report by PTI, a Maharashtra court cleared Vijay Raaz’s name from the s*xual harassment case that was filed against him in 2020. The Gondia court stated that the prosecution had “failed to present sufficient evidence” to back the claims in the case.
Hence, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Mahendra Sorte dropped all the charges filed against the Welcome actor under Sections 354-A (sexual harassment) and 354-D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). According to a report by Hindustan Times, the court stated that the investigating officer did not conduct any further investigation.
“Therefore, the evidence presented by the prosecution appears weak and insufficient. Even the seized CCTV footage does not clearly show the accused committing the alleged act,” said the court. Since the prosecution “failed to conclusively prove the guilt of the accused” and the oral evidence was not enough, the Dream Girl 2 actor was declared innocent.
After the court’s order came, the actor’s lawyer, Saveena Bedi Sachar, stated that Vijay was filming near Nagpur for Sherni when the case came up. Not only did he have to leave the shoot midway, but he also lost work thereafter. "Now that the court has declared him innocent, this should be an eye-opener for those who treat every accused as guilty from the moment allegations are made,” the Times of India quoted her saying.
About the case:
The case was filed at the Ramnagar police station in Gondia. It was alleged that Raaz committed the offence between the night of October 25, 2020, and the morning of October 29, 2020. The complainant stated that the incident took place in a hotel where the crew was staying. Then, on November 4, 2020, he was arrested in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, but released on bail the same day.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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