Prithvi Shaw fined Rs 100 by Mumbai court in Sapna Gill molestation case; here's why

Prithvi Shaw fined in molestation case involving Sapna Gill. (Photo: X)

A Mumbai sessions court fined cricketer Prithvi Shaw Rs 100 in token costs on Tuesday for not responding to social media personality Sapna Gill's molestation case. Shaw was given another chance by the court to reply to Gill's criminal revision appeal, which contests the magistrate court's earlier ruling not to file a formal complaint against the cricketer.

Shaw had already been asked to reply to Gill's petition on several occasions by the sessions court. Shaw was given one last warning at the previous hearing, but he failed to submit his response by Tuesday's hearing.

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Before setting the next hearing for December 16, the judge said, "Still, one more chance is granted for a cost of Rs 100."

Concerned about Shaw's behavior in court, Gill's lawyer, Advocate Ali Kaashif Khan, said: "This has been his regular way of handling the case despite being summoned many times."

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The case started on February 15, 2023, when an incident occurred at a pub in Andheri, Mumbai. According to police reports, at around 1 in the morning, Gill's buddy Shobit Thakur kept asking Shaw for pictures, which allegedly caused an argument when Shaw refused.

Things got heated when Shaw and his friend Ashish Surendra Yadav were exiting the venue. Police say Shaw fled unscathed, but Thakur was allegedly attacked with a baseball bat.

Yadav was allegedly pursued by a group of six people, including Thakur and Gill, who demanded Rs 50,000.

Police then filed a complaint against the group, and on February 17, 2023, Gill was taken into custody. Three days after that, she was freed on bail.

The police narrative of what happened is very different from Gill's version. She claims that Thakur and she received an invitation from Shaw and Yadav for drinks at their VIP table. According to her allegation, Shaw and Yadav attacked Thakur when he asked for selfies.

Gill alleges that Shaw sexually and physically attacked her when she tried to step in. She accused the cricketer of assault, molestation, and outraging her modesty in a counter-complaint.

In response to Gill's complaint, the magistrate court first ordered a police investigation rather than filing a formal complaint. Gill filed a criminal revision petition with the sessions court in April 2024 after becoming dissatisfied with this ruling.

The case is still ongoing, and Shaw must now pay the token fine and provide his response before the next hearing on December 16.