GUWAHATI: A local court in Mumbai has ordered the police to conduct an investigation into social media influencer Sapna Gill's allegation of molestation against cricketer Prithvi Shaw in 2023. Metropolitan Magistrate SC Tayde directed the police to present a report of the inquiry by June 19, according to media reports.
However, the court dismissed Gill's plea seeking action against the police for not registering a First Information Report (FIR) against Shaw and others based on her complaint. Shaw has consistently denied the allegations levelled against him.
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Gill had accused Shaw of molesting her at a pub in suburban Andheri. The incident allegedly occurred after an argument over clicking selfies at a hotel, resulting in Gill's arrest in February 2023. She is currently out on bail.
Following her release, Gill filed a complaint against Shaw, his friend Ashish Yadav, and others at the Airport police station in Andheri, alleging molestation and outraging modesty. When the police did not register a case against the cricketer, Gill approached the magistrate court.
In her complaint filed through advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Desh, Gill sought the registration of an FIR under sections 354 (molestation), 509 (insult to the modesty of a woman), and 324 (causing hurt with dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Shaw and Yadav for assaulting her with a bat.
However, the police argued in court that Gill's accusation of being molested at the pub was "false and unfounded." They presented CCTV footage from the pub, showing Gill and her friend Shobit Thakur appearing intoxicated and dancing.
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According to the police, Thakur attempted to record Shaw on his phone, but the cricketer stopped him. The footage did not indicate any molestation by Shaw or others.
The police further stated that witness statements corroborated their findings, with no one witnessing Gill being molested. They also reviewed CCTV footage from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower nearby, showing Gill following Shaw's car with a baseball bat and subsequently breaking the car's glass.
