Retired MSRTC officer gets bail before arrest in sexual harassment case | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: The sessions court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Veerendra Kadam, a retired Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) officer who was booked by Nagpada police for sexually harassing a consultant working at the corporation’s office.

The complaint, filed by the KPMG consultant, related to an incident on May 29 this year when she and one of her colleagues were called to Kadam’s cabin for a routine team meeting. The MSRTC hired the complainant for various projects and alleged that Kadam offered her promotions and other benefits in exchange for sexual favors.

According to the complainant, after the meeting, the officer asked everyone except the complainant to leave the cabin. He allegedly told her that her professional advancement within the organization was based on her “willingness to become more accommodating to his advances.”

He allegedly suggested entering into a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship with him. Kadam offered to book a hotel, adding that he was no longer in physical relations. He allegedly offered to release a large work order for KPMG and recommended her for a promotion in lieu of sexual favors. The complainant reported that Kadam continued his lewd comments despite her visible discomfort and attempts to return the conversation to professional matters.

During the additional hearings, Judge Shayana V Patil granted Kadam pre-arrest bail on the condition of personal bond of ₹50,000 and one or two solvent sureties for the same amount.

“We had cited phone records where the officer called the complainant and asked her to compromise for favours. She is a single woman who came here for a job. Even after the FIR was filed, the officer threatened her through some source to withdraw it,” Additional Public Prosecutor Geeta Sharma said.

In the anticipatory bail application filed by Kadam, he alleged that the complaint was false and that it was filed after the consultant was informed about her resignation from MSRTC. The plea noted that the timing of the complaint showed it was made as an act of revenge after she was removed from several projects for “not meeting the required qualifications.”

The complainant hoped to continue his employment with MSRTC. When it became clear on May 29, 2024, that she would no longer be detained, she filed this false, outrageous and baseless complaint to “tarnish his reputation,” the plea said.

Kadam was booked under section 354A (sexual harassment) of the IPC, based on the complaint filed by the complainant. The complainant alleged that the Internal Complaints Committee formed was adapted to the accused, after which she contacted the state authorities again.