Casting director gets life sentence for raping and sharing nude pictures of aspiring actress

India’s #MeToo movement was started by Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta after she alleged director/actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment at workplace. The movement started gaining momentum as victims of the entertainment industry started coming forward with their stories, especially since a few of the well-known actors were named as the abusers.

Meanwhile, another #MeToo incident has come into the limelight as an aspiring 23-year-old model/actress accused casting director Ravindranath Ghosh of raping and harassing her. He also allegedly sent inappropriate pictures of the model to her husband and employer. The court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment when he pleaded guilty of the charges.

According to the victim, the accused introduced himself to her in 2011 as a cameraman and casting director, who was producing a Television series. The girl, who was awaiting an opportunity such as that, decided to take his help. However, the director agreed to cast her only in return for sexual favours. The model then started avoiding him, but he called her to Madh Island two weeks later, where he raped and took nude pictures of her. He later sent them to her husband and employer in order to seek revenge for being ignored by her. The 23-year-old also stated that her husband had abandoned her and their new-born child following the mishap.

In 2019, Ghosh was arrested after the victim registered a complaint against him. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs. 1.31 lakh on the predator, of which, 1 lakh will be handed to the actress as compensation.