Indian film-maker convicted of raping American scholar
- By AFP -
- Jul 30, 2016
According to Indian Express, Farooqui, who co-directed with his wife Anusha Rizvi the 2010 release Peepli Live, faces between a minimum seven year prison sentence and a maximum life term, according to the Indian Express. The court is slated to hear arguments Tuesday before pronouncing its sentence.
The victim, then aged 35, had travelled to India to seek Farooqui’s assistance with her research when the attack took place at his home in an upscale area of the capital.
Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain will now decide on the sentence after hearing arguments on Tuesday, PTI said.
Farooqui, who was taken into custody as soon as the judge read the verdict, denies the allegations.
The woman returned to the US shortly after the incident but came back to report the matter to police.
“Peepli Live”, which explores the divide between urban and rural India, was produced by Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan.
Farooqui co-directed it with his wife Anusha Rizvi, who had earlier dismissed the complaint against her husband as “manipulated and false”.
India introduced tough laws against sex offenders in the wake of the fatal gang-rape of a Delhi student in the capital in December 2012 that sparked mass street protests. But high levels of sexual violence against women continue.