Court fines cricketer Prithvi Shaw Rs 100 for delaying reply in molestation case

Cricketer Prithvi Shaw has been directed to pay Rs 100 to social media influencer Sapna Gill after he failed to file his reply to her petition despite repeated opportunities from the court in connection with a molestation case.

The Dindoshi sessions court imposed the token penalty on September 9, noting that Shaw's lawyer had been granted a "last chance" on June 13 but still did not file a response. Judge S M Agarkar observed, "Last chance was granted on the previous date. Still one more chance is granted for the cost of Rs. 100 to the other side".

Gill has filed a criminal revision application alleging molestation by Shaw at a pub in Andheri on February 15, 2023. She claimed the cricketer refused a selfie request, snatched and threw her friend's phone, and then assaulted and molested her when she intervened.

Her lawyer, advocate Ali Kaashif Khan, argued that Shaw and his team have been deliberately dragging the case. "Despite being summoned on multiple occasions, his lawyers keep seeking adjournments with one excuse or another," Khan said.

Following the incident, Gill approached the police to register an FIR, but when no action was taken, she moved the Andheri magistrate court.

In April 2024, the magistrate noted a delay in filing but said the allegations were serious enough to warrant an inquiry. The Santacruz police station was directed to investigate under Section 202 of the CrPC and submit a report.

Gill later challenged this order, arguing that police refusal to register an FIR despite her detailed complaint showed a failure of the system to protect victims of assault.

Shaw has yet to formally respond to her allegations in court.

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