Accuser drops sexual harassment case against Vikas Bahl: I've had enough, still suffering after 3 years

The former employee of the film collective Phantom Films, who had accused the company's partner, Vikas Bahl of sexual harassment, has decided to drop the case against the Queen director. She said that she will not file any legal affidavit against Vikas in court and doesn't want to escalate the issue further stating that she has had enough.

"I have had enough and I am still suffering at the hands of this man even after three years. I do not want to be involved in litigation so will not file an affidavit. Will only put out a statement," the accuser stated in a statement presented by her lawyer at the Mumbai High Court on Friday.

According to Times Now, the accuser's lawyer added that the woman stands by all the statements she had made against Vikas in the media. During the hearing, Justice SJ Kathawalla stated that there should be a committee of men and women to look into such matters.

Meanwhile, Vikas Bahl has moved the Mumbai High Court with a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against his former Phantom Films partners Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane amid the #MeToo furore.

Bahl, in a suit filed on Tuesday (October 16), sought direction from the court to restrain the two from making any statement about him in the media or via social media.

The court on Wednesday posted the matter to Friday so that the alleged victim's side of the story can also be heard in the court's chambers, Bahl's advocate Hitesh Jain told IANS.

The 'Queen' director was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee of the film collective Phantom Films last year, for an incident that took place in 2015 in Goa during the promotion of the banner's movie 'Bombay Velvet'.

The allegation resurfaced as the #MeToo movement garnered steam in India, leading some others, including 'Queen' actress Kangana Ranaut, to point fingers at Bahl's behaviour towards women.

Kashyap came out in support of the allegations in a HuffPost India report and also tweeted about it, while Motwane called Bahl a "sexual offender".

Bahl has said the defendants are "taking advantage of the ongoing #MeToo movement in the country."

Kashyap, Motwane, Bahl and Madhu Mantena made a creative film quartet in Bollywood when they established Phantom Films in 2011. They came up with movies like 'Lootera', 'Hasee Toh Phasee', 'Queen' and 'Udta Punjab', as well as the web series 'Sacred Games.'

The company's dissolution was announced earlier this month.

(With IANS Inputs)