In a twist in the sensational rape case involving Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja, his maid has backtracked from her allegations that he raped her at his residence here last year and said the incident never occurred.
The 20-year-old girl appeared before a court on September 3, and said that she was never raped by Shiney and that she had filed the complaint against the actor at the behest of the woman who had secured her the job of a maid in Ahuja's residence.
In June last year, the girl had lodged a police complaint alleging that she was raped by the actor at his residence. Shiney was subsequently arrested on June 14 and was released on bail three months later.
"On September 3, the victim identified Shiney in the court and said she used to work at his residence as a domestic help. But when asked about the incident she said it never happened and that she was never raped," public prosecutor Kashinath Dighe said.
Following this, the court declared her hostile. If the court deems fit, she can be punished for perjury, he said.
The prosecution will continue presenting other evidence including the statements of 12 other witnesses, forensic reports and other documentary evidence.
The next date of hearing has been fixed on September 15.
The police in its 109-page chargesheet had charged Shiney with rape and wrongfully confining the victim. He faces a maximum punishment of ten years if convicted.
The victim in her complaint to the police had said on June 14 last year that she and the 37-year-old actor were alone in the house when Shiney allegedly raped her.
The maid had alleged that Shiney had confined her to his bedroom for hours before allowing her to go. Once she was allowed to go, she told her aunt about the incident who then took her to the Oshiwara police station to lodge a complaint.
Shiney in his defence had said that he was falsely implicated and that he was innocent.
What Happened On June 14, 2009
Turn of events:
• 1 pm- 3 pm: Shiney Ahuja allegedly rapes his housemaid
• 3-6 pm: The maid meets her relatives and narrates the incident
• 6.30-7 pm: She goes to Oshiwara police station to file a complaint against Ahuja
• 8.30 pm: The police go to Ahuja's house at Tarapore Gardens, Oshiwara, and bring him in for inquiry
• 9 pm - 2 am: The police question Ahuja in an air-conditioned room
• 2 am: The police take the maid to the police hospital in Nagpada for medical tests
• 4.30 am: She is brought back to the police station
• 5.15 am: Ahuja is taken for his medical test
• Around 5.45 AM: Ahuja is finally arrested
Shiney Ahuja's maid was brought to the Oshiwara police station at 4.30 am after her medical check up at the Police Hospital, Nagpada. Interestingly, no lady constables accompanied her.
The actor was booked under sections of the IPC for rape (376), criminal intimidation (506) and wrongful confinement (342).
The 18-year-old maid, said police, had been working with Ahuja for the last one-and-a-half months. "She approached the Oshiwara police at around 7 pm and told the police that Ahuja had raped her," said Amitabh Gupta, additional commissioner of police.
The complainant told the police that she had come for domestic work to Ahuja's flat. The actor's wife was not at home. "He took me into his bedroom, gagged and raped me," the victim is believed to have said in the FIR. The incident took place between 3 pm and 5 pm on Sunday. "The complainant told the police that she was traumatised after the incident and went to her relatives' place who along with the girl then approached the police station," said DCP Niket Kaushik.
Soon after the complaint was registered, the girl was sent to the Nagpada police hospital for a medical examination late Sunday night. A DNA test on June 29, 2009 confirmed rape. Shiney got bail in October the same year but was instructed by the court to stay away from Mumbai so as not to intimidate the victim.
Ahuja is married and is known for his roles in films like ‘Hazaroon Khwaishe, ‘Aish' and ‘Gangster'.
Mahesh Bhatt, who produced Gangster for Shiney Ahuja, said, "This is a body blow to me. I spoke to a top police official who told me that he was informed by his juniors at Oshiwara that Shiney claimed that he had sex with the consent of the maid. However, she has claimed that she was forced into it. The police officer added that they had to accept the woman's version. I had spoken to Shiney only yesterday. If he is found guilty of rape, we have to condemn him."
