Sansakri actor Alok Nath, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by Bollywood actresses Sandhya Mridual and Deepika Amin, is expelled by the Cine And TV artistes Association till further notice for not showing up before its committee, reported ANI.
Alok Verma was asked to appear before the executive committee on Monday, but he did not appear.
Notably, writer-producer Vinta Nanda also accused him of raping her almost 20 years back. The accused was known for his roles as sanskari bapuji in dozens of films and several television shows.
The statement added that if Alok Nath fails to appear during the annual general meeting on May 1, he will be permanently expelled.
News agency ANI Tweeted, “CINTAA has expelled Alok Nath from its membership till further notice after he failed to appear before it’s executive committee y’day. He has been asked to appear during AGM on May 1&if he fails,he’ll be permanently expelled: Sr Joint Secretary, Committee of Cine&TV Artistes’ Assoc.”
According to reports, CINTAA had sent the show cause notice to Alok Nath earlier in October, after which his lawyer told ANI that he denies the allegations of sexual misconduct.
Speaking to ANI, the actor’s lawyer said, “Alok Nath has responded to the notice issued by Cine And TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) against him and has denied all allegations of sexual harassment.”
The notice required Alok Nath to explain why he should not be expelled from CINTAA, which has also promised Vinta Nanda ‘full support’ in the event of a formal complaint.
Earlier, Alok Nath had refused to respond to a notice sent by the Indian Film And Television Directors Association (IFTDA) in connection with Vinta Nanda’s claim that he raped her. Nanda had revealed her #MeToo story in a deeply detailed and emotional Facebook post.
Also read:#MeToo: Court rejects Alok Nath’s plea seeking injunction on Vinta Nanda speaking to media