Kings XI Punjab co-owner appeared in court in connection with the molestation case Preity Zinta had filed against him after he allegedly assaulted her at the Wankhede Stadium in 2014
Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta
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Three and a half years after Preity Zinta registered a complaint of molestation and intimidation against Ness Wadia, the police have filed a charge sheet in a local court. A top police source said, "We filed the charge sheet against Ness Wadia on Tuesday; it is 500-odd pages." The case being a high-profile one, all senior police officers are tight-lipped about it. In June 2014, the actress had lodged a complaint with the Marine Lines police, accusing Wadia of molesting and intimidating her at Wankhede stadium on May 30 that year during an IPL match.
Allegations of abuse
She had submitted four photographs, showing 'bruise-like' marks on her right arm, to the Mumbai police and claimed they were caused when Wadia grabbed her with force.
In the same month, while recording her statement, she had told the police that Wadia had abused the team staff over ticket distribution, when she was in the air-conditioned box in Garware Pavilion. She had then changed her seat and sat next to her friend Danish Merchant in the non-AC row below the railing, she'd claimed, adding that she was abused for the third time on the ground in front of team members.
Multiple statements
In his defence in July that year, Wadia had shared names of nine people who he claimed were present at the stadium at the time of the alleged incident, requesting the police to record their statements. Initially, the police were unable to contact them as their contact details had not been shared. Later, statements of all of them were recorded. In August 2014, Gene Goodenough, an American who married Zinta, sent his statement to the police via email.
Also read: Four witnesses deny argument between Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta
A source said, "In his statement, Goodenough supported her claims, stating he had intervened when Wadia molested and abused Zinta, and he'd asked Wadia not to misbehave with a woman." Another foreign national, Andrew Miller, father of cricketer David Miller, also sent his statement through email. "Miller, on the other hand, said he saw the couple arguing but did not see Wadia misbehave with her as he was seated far away," the source added.
In November 2015, Zinta recorded an in-camera statement under section 164 of the CrPC before the 18th metropolitan magistrate court in Girgaum. In May 2016, the police recorded Wadia's statement. A source said, "The police have attached statements of several people in the charge sheet. During the filing of the charge sheet, Wadia was present in the court, which allowed him to go on a personal bond of Rs 20,000."
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