Inappropriate clauses found in contestants’ contracts: Police
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police have told the Punjab and Haryana high court that it found “inappropriate and illegal” clauses in the contracts of PTC’s ‘Miss Punjaban’ beauty pageant contestants during the investigation into an FIR registered on a complaint of sexual harassment.
The affidavit filed by Mohali DSP (headquarters) Manvir Singh Bajwa opposing the bail pleas said, “Lots of inappropriate clauses through which participants were bound not to raise any objection, dispute/claim in any manner, have been found in their contracts. The said clauses show the modus operandi and ill intention.”
The response has been submitted to the bail pleas of Rabinder Narayan, the managing director of PTC, and Nancy Ghuman, director, Miss Punjaban 2022-23, which is organised by PTC. It was on April 6 that the Mohali police had arrested Narayan. The contestant had lodged a complaint with the police on March 17, alleging that the accused were involved in a prostitution racket and she was detained for many days without her consent.
The police further claimed that whereas there were 24 contestants, as many as 26 agreements have been found. Co-accused Niharika and Laxman were working under him and there were “very serious” allegations against them, the police said, demanding that he be not released on bail as he might tamper with the evidence.
In the case of Ghuman, the police claimed that as per the woman’s statement, she was the “mastermind of illegal activities”. Any agreement between the channel and Ghuman was yet to be recovered, the police said, further adding that as per the complainant, in order to blackmail the women, their obscene pictures were taken, which were yet to be recovered.
About Bhupinderjeet Singh, the third petitioner, the police said that he and Ghuman got divorced, but were still residing and working together for the contest. Both are masterminds of this ill trade, the police claimed.
The bail pleas of the trio will be taken up for hearing on May 19.