Court Stays Actress Sruthi Hariharan's Case Against Producer Prashanth Sambargi

The Karnataka High Court has stayed the proceedings against film producer and distributor Prashanth Sambargi. He was charged under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) and Section 509 (hurt the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by actress Sruthi Hariharan. The Vismaya actress has registered a complaint at the High Grounds Police Station, and her case is pending before the VIII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Bengaluru. To counter Sruthi’s case, Prashanth filed a petition to quash the case before the High Court.

Justice K Natarajan, after hearing both sides, stayed the proceedings which were against Prashanth’s petition to quash. Now the Karnataka High Court will hear Prashanth’s petition on February 1, 2023, to quash Sruthi’s complaint. In an earlier hearing, the High Court took cognisance that both of them belong to the film industry and there were some derogatory remarks passed by Prashanth against respondent Sruthi.

Sruthi’s case on Prashanth is an offshoot of her complaint against actor Arjun Sarja of sexual harassment. During the shooting of Vismaya, the actress accused Arjun of sexual misconduct with her on the set. In October 2018, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce conducted a meeting brokered by veteran actor Ambareesh to settle the disputes between Arjun and Sruthi.

Arjun was accompanied by his aide Prashanth, who later briefed the media about the meeting. In his briefing, Prashanth accused Sruthi that her fake sexual harassment case was funded from New York. Sruthi, thus, accuses Prashanth of intruding on her privacy and indulging in character assassination, while sharing the moments of the meeting with the media. In order to cease the damages done by Prashant, she has filed a case in the High Grounds Police Station.

Last November, the police filed a closure report in the sexual misconduct case but Sruthi has not filed any protest memo against it. The Karnataka High Court has accepted the police report and closed Arjun’s sexual misconduct case.

Read all the Latest Movies News here