Nainital: The Hight court stays arrest on Shantikunj chief Dr Pranab Pandya for a harassment case filed by Chhattisgarh girl, the petitioner has been instructed to cooperate with police investigation.
The court directed that the next hearing will be on June 12.
Dr. Pranab Pandya and others had filed a petition seeking cancellation of the FIR filed by the Chhattisgarh girl. After hearing the plea, the High Court has fixed the date of 12th June for further hearing of the case by staying the arrest of the petitioner.
On May 5, 24-year-old girl from Chhattisgarh filed an FIR at Vivek Vihar police station, against Gayatri Pariwar and Shantikunj Haridwar Chief Pranav Pandya and his wife.
The victim, a native of Chhattisgarh and currently staying in Delhi, in the “Zero” FIR, has accused the Pandya couple of harassment while Pandya termed the accusation as baseless.
While talking to media in Haridwar on Wednesday, Pandya said, “The allegations are baseless and all is being done as per plot. We will prove the charges wrong at the appropriate time.”
According to the FIR lodged at Vivek Vihar police station in Delhi on May 5, 2020, “Pranav Pandya started harassing the victim soon after she started working in Shantikunj kitchen in 2010. When she told others about it, they threatened her and asked her to stay quite.”
She was harassed till 2014 after which she went to her home. When she tried to file a complaint against the accused, they threatened her over the phone.
The victim has demanded a CBI probe into the matter. According to the statement of the victim, she has been staying in Delhi since March 22 due to lockdown. In the FIR, the victim mentioned that she has also sent a complaint to the National Commission for Women via email on April 7.
The Delhi police also got the victim’s medical done at Hedgewar hospital. A copy of the medical report and “Zero” FIR was sent to Haridwar Kotwali police station.
