The Bombay High Court has cancelled the 2014 molestation case involving Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia. The actress had alleged that Ness molested her during an IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.
The Bombay High Court quashed Preity Zinta's 2014 molestation case against industrialist Ness Wadia, news agency ANI reported on Thursday.
The 43-year-old actress had filed a police complaint in 2014 alleging that she was molested by the industrialist at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium on May 30 when an Indian Premier League (IPL) match was played between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.
In her statement to the police, Preity had alleged that during the match, Ness came up to her, grabbed her by the hand and started using abusive words in front of other spectators.
Preity had lodged a police complaint against Ness on June 13, 2014, under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (using word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
Preity and Wadia are co-owners of the IPL team Kings XI Punjab and were in a five-year relationship which ended in 2011.
In an interview to a film magazine, Preity had said, “I walked out of my relationship with Ness Wadia.”
Coming back to the case, Preity's advocate had told the court that the actress is willing to settle the matter if Ness is ready to apologise. Ness's lawyer had, however, said the industrialist was not ready to apologise.
The court, which was hearing Ness Wadia's petition seeking the case be dropped, had then suggested the parties settle the matter. "Just finish it off now," Justice Ranjit More had said on Monday.
In February this year, police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Ness. Later, the industrialist approached the high court for the case to be cancelled. In his petition, Ness claimed the case arose out of "personal vengeance" and that the incident was merely a "misunderstanding".
(With inputs from PTI)
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