NEW DELHI — Delhi’s Tis Hazari Court on Saturday remanded actor Ashish Kapoor to 14 days of judicial custody after police interrogation in connection with an alleged gang rape case. Kapoor, known for his roles in popular TV shows like Saraswatichandra and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, was produced before Link Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Payal Singhal.
Kapoor was arrested on September 2 in Pune by the Delhi Police after a woman lodged a complaint on August 11, leading to an FIR being filed against him and others. According to the complaint, the woman was at a party in Kapoor’s neighborhood where her drink was allegedly spiked. She claimed she lost consciousness, was dragged to a washroom, and then gang-raped.
Although the initial FIR included charges of gang rape and named other individuals, police stated that the woman later revised her statement, accusing only Ashish Kapoor of rape. Following his arrest, the Delhi Police sought a five-day custody remand to investigate, including recovering a mobile phone and conducting a potency test on the accused. The police also intended to take him to Pune for further investigation into the roles of other potential accused persons.
On September 3, the Tis Hazari Court had initially granted the police four days of custody for the investigation. While Kapoor was scheduled to be produced on September 7, police brought him to court a day earlier, leading to his judicial custody remand. The court also approved the police’s request to conduct a potency test on the actor.
During the September 3 hearing, Kapoor’s legal team, including advocates Deepak Sharma, Rajan Oberoi, and Somesh Oberoi, argued against the police’s request for custody. They stated that the recovery of the mobile phone was not possible from Kapoor as it was allegedly in the possession of co-accused Kapil Gupta and his wife, Ritu Gupta. The lawyers also noted that Kapil Gupta, a pilot, had already been granted anticipatory bail, making Kapoor’s custody unnecessary.
Kapoor’s application for interim protection from arrest became infructuous after his arrest in Pune.