The Bombay high court on 3rd March admitted the appeal of Vikas Sachdeva, a former senior executive of an entertainment company, against his conviction in the sexual assault case of actress Zaira Wasim while she was a minor. The court, while admitting the appeal, suspended the sentence and continued his bail.
Justice Prithviraj Chavan granted Vikas bail of Rs. 25,000 with two sureties of like amount, and directed him not to leave the city without court permission.
Special trial court judge A.D. Deo on 15th January had held Sachdeva guilty under section 8 of the Prevention Of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The 41-year-old had been accused by Zaira of putting up his foot while on a flight from Delhi to Bombay in December 2017 and touching the 17-year-old actress’ neck and shoulder with his foot. Zaira was seated ahead of Vikas in the business class. The judge had sentenced Vikas to three years’ imprisonment. He was then granted bail.
Vikas Sachdeva’s counsel argued that the cabin crew had said that they hadn’t noticed any such incident. He also said that Zaira’s deposition was shrouded in omissions and improvements.