Following several complaints and intervention by National Commission for Women, Mumbai police have registered a case against well-known investor Mahesh Murthy for sexual harassment. A case against him has been registered under section 354 (D), 509 of IPC and under section 67 of IT Act at Khar Police Station.
A woman filed a complaint against him after which NCW wrote to the Director General of Police, Maharashtra regarding objectionable, derogatory, sexual and obscene signs on social media made by Mahesh Murthy. As per a press note put out by them on November 17, they requested the DGP to personally get involved to investigate the matter and take strict action as per law and procedure against the accused.
In the letter, NCW also added that there have been many other women who made similar complaints against him, highlighting that the commission received a similar complaint from another woman early this year. It requested the DGP to apprise the commission of the details of the case along with ‘action taken report in the matter within 15 days from the date of the issue of the said letter’.
Post this successful intervention, a cognisable offence has been made out against Mahesh Murthy and the same has been registered against him by Mumbai Police.
Around April 2017, several complaints surfaced against the investor, a few of which dated back to 2003. A woman spoke to FactorDaily in a story published on April 21, claiming that Mahesh Murthy behaved inappropriately with her physically and verbally at a coffee shop in 2003 and 2004. There were other instances of inappropriate messages on Facebook and WhatsApp and also complaints of him physically grabbing women.
Mahesh put out a post on Medium attempting to justify and apologise, which wasn’t received very well.
According to a report by DNA, the sections he has been booked under are: Section 354 (D) of the Indian Penal Code which pertains to stalking offline and online, Section 509 of IPC is for any 'word, gesture or act that's intended to insult the modesty of a woman' and Section 67 of the IT act which refers to 'obscene material in electronic form'.