Karnataka HC adjourns hearing on Sruthi Hariharan’s plea seeking quashing of FIR

Team Udayavani, Nov 15, 2018, 8:57 AM IST

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court Wednesday adjourned to next week the hearing on actress Sruthi Hariharan’s petition seeking quashing of an FIR filed against her. Hariharan, who accused actor Arjun Sarja of sexual harassment, had Tuesday moved the court challenging the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the cyber crime police against her based on a complaint by Shree Raam Films International, a company belonging to the actor’s family. 

Sarja has alleged that Hariharan and her aides had misused cyberspace facilities to defame him. In her plea, Hariharan said the FIR was “instituted” against her to intimidate her. She also argued that the allegations do not prima facie constitute any of the offences alleged either under the Indian Penal Code or under provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000. 

A case of attempt to outrage the modesty of a woman was registered against Sarja on October 27 based on Hariharan’s complaint. The actress, in a post on her Facebook page praising #Metoo movement, had accused Sarja of “lewd and completely unprofessional behaviour” with her during the shooting for a bilingual film in 2016. Sruthi’s complaint with the Cubbon Park police came a day after the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce attempt to bring about a conciliation between the two actors failed. Cases were registered under Sections 354, 354A, 506 and 509 of IPC against Sarja. 

Section 354 relates to assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 506 to punishment for criminal intimidation and 509 to a word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman. Days after Sruthi’s posting, Sarja last month filed a Rs five crore defamation suit against her in a city court.