Aditya Pancholi appears in Bombay HC for 28th hearing in 2019 rape case

Aditya Pancholi in court as legal battle over 2019 FIR continues

• Aditya Pancholi attends 28th hearing in rape case
• Next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 4, 2026
• Pancholi seeks FIR quashing; complainant absent despite notices

Did our AI summary help?

Actor Aditya Pancholi appeared at the Bombay High Court on Tuesday for the 28th hearing in his long-running legal battle over an FIR filed against him in an alleged rape case.

The case, lodged by a female actor back in 2019, has been through multiple hearings, with the next date now set for March 4, 2026.

Speaking briefly to the media outside the court, Aditya Pancholi chose not to comment on the ongoing proceedings, saying that he could not say anything further at this stage.

His lawyer, Prashant Patil, explained that the FIR, registered under IPC 376 and other sections at the Versova police station, is being challenged in court, with the actor seeking to have it quashed. “The next hearing of the case has been fixed on March 4,” Patil confirmed.

As reported by IANS, Patil also shared more details about the day’s proceedings: “The complainant in this case is a female actor and the accused is Aditya Pancholi. Pancholi’s lawyer Patil said that the hearing was held in the court today and the demand to cancel the FIR was reiterated. Appearing for the police in the court, the public prosecutor said the victim did not turn up for the probe despite being served notices 11 times by the police.”

The High Court issued a notice again and asked both sides to appear on the next scheduled date. The FIR, lodged on June 27, 2019, has been contested by Aditya Pancholi’s legal team, which claims the complaint was filed nearly 15 years after the alleged incident and that it was malafide.

The petition also cites the Supreme Court’s ‘Bhajan Lal’ verdict as a precedent for quashing FIRs in cases of this nature.

Also Read: When Aditya Pancholi spoke about rumours and labels: “Mere baap koi star nahi hai, iska matlab yeh nahi ki main koi nahi hoon”

Patil added, “Before the FIR was registered, one person had met Aditya Pancholi, whose recording is with us, we have produced that recording in the court and have explained how the intention behind registering this FIR is wrong and why it should be quashed.”

A lawyer representing the complainant appeared in court but requested additional time to take instructions from their client. The matter is now pending, with arguments expected to continue when the case resumes on March 4, 2026.