The Rangareddy District Court granted interim bail to celebrity choreographer Jani Master on Thursday, following his arrest last month for allegedly sexually assaulting a junior female colleague. The bail allows him to attend the National Film Awards from October 6 to October 10, where he is set to receive an award for his choreography in the song “Megham Karukkatha” from the film Thiruchitrambalam.
The allegations against Jani Master, whose real name is Sheik Jani Basha, emerged when a 21-year-old female choreographer accused him of sexual assault during a work trip to Mumbai in 2020. She claimed the harassment continued over the years, with threats to prevent her from disclosing the incidents.
Jani Master was arrested by Cyberabad police in Goa on September 19 and subsequently remanded to judicial custody for two weeks. He was later placed in police custody for four days on September 25.
The case was initially registered as a zero First Information Report (FIR) by the Raidurgam police on September 15, later re-registered at Narsingi Police Station. He faces charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape, criminal intimidation, and assault, as well as provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged offenses. The complainant reported that she began working with Jani Master in 2017 and became his assistant in 2019. She alleges that the assaults occurred in various cities, including Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
Jani Master has choreographed in a number of Bollywood movies movies like Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, Stree 2 and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. In Stree 2, he choreographed “Aaj ki Raat", featuring Tamannaah Bhatia.