Payal Ghosh To Apologise To Richa Chadha Following Rs 1.1 Crore Defamation Suit

Following a hearing in the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, Payal Ghosh will apologise to actor Richa Chadha, and withdraw the statements she made against her in an interview recently. On October 6, Chadha had proceeded to take legal action against Ghosh in court, filing a defamation suit for Rs 1.1 crore in damages. Ghosh, while accusing director Anurag Kashyap of sexually harassing her, had named Chadha and some other Bollywood actresses claiming they knew about Kashyap's alleged misbehaviour.

During the hearing today headed by Justice AK Menon, Ghosh agreed to apologise to Chadha, with the statement that she had taken her name "innocently." Her lawyer Nitin Satpute was quoted saying, "She said it innocently. She is a big follower of the plaintiff (Chadha) and respects her. She is ready to withdraw the statement and tender apology. She regrets whatever she said and her intention was never to defame any woman."

Chadha's lawyers said they were willing to accept the apology and would not claim further damages.

Also Read: Anurag Kashyap Walked Out Of Room When An Actress Offered Sexual Favours Says Ex Assistant

Payal Ghosh's Accusations On Kashyap And Other Actresses

Ghosh, who is also an actor, had mentioned Huma Qureshi, Richa Chadha, and Mahie Gill's names while alleging harassment by Kashyap in September. In an interview with ABN Telugu she had said, “I went to meet him (Anurag Kashyap) and the next day when he took me to the other room, he opened his zip and tried to force his c**k inside my v****a by opening nada of my salwar kameez. He said it was okay and all the actresses who worked with him such as Huma Qureshi, Richa Chadha, Mahie Gill, they are just a call away.” Kashyap had denied all charges.

Following her comments, all three actresses had reacted to the event. In a social media statement, Qureshi had said, “I feel really angry at being dragged into this mess. I feel angry not just for myself but also every woman whose years of hard work and struggle gets reduced to such baseless conjecture and allegations in their workplace." Mahie Gill too had said she never experienced such a thing.

Also Read: Ex-wives Kalki Koechlin, Aarti Bajaj And Several Bollywood Women Support Anurag Kashyap

Chadha meanwhile had initiated legal action against Ghosh on September 21, posting regular updates about it on her social media handles. Her fiancee, Ali Fazal, had supported her, saying, "You’ve fought to create an equal society which isn’t fractured by hate . And within that to be able to champion women all along … and keep your art at par with the best, takes courage and nerves of steel.”

Several from the Bollywood fraternity had stood up for Kashyap, including his ex-wives Kalki Koechlin and Aarti Bajaj, and friends Taapsee Pannu, Radhika Apte, and Surveen Chawla. Read more on that here.