Jani Master loses National Award amidst sexual assault case

New Delhi: Tollywood choreographer Jani Master, who is facing serious allegations of sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, has suffered a significant blow as the Government of India has revoked his National Award for Best Choreography. This award was for the song ‘Megham Karukkatha’ from the film ‘Thiruchitrambalam’, which features actors Dhanush, Nithya Menen, and Raashi Khanna.

The National Awards presentation ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 8 in New Delhi.

On Thursday, the Rangareddy District Court granted interim bail to Jani Master alias Sheik Jani Basha. He had requested bail in order to attend the National Film Awards function, and the court permitted his release from October 6 to October 10.

The allegations against Jani Master surfaced last month when a 21-year-old female choreographer accused him of sexual assault. He was arrested by the Cyberabad police in Goa on September 19 and subsequently remanded to judicial custody for two weeks. On September 25, a Hyderabad court ordered him into police custody for an additional four days.

According to police reports, the victim claims that Jani Master assaulted her during a work trip to Mumbai in 2020 and subjected her to ongoing harassment, threatening her to keep silent about the incidents.

A zero First Information Report (FIR) was filed by the Raidurgam police on September 15, and the case was later re-registered at Narsingi Police Station.

Jani Master has been charged with rape, criminal intimidation, and assault. During the investigation, it was revealed that the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged offences, leading to the invocation of Section 5 (l) read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act.

The victim, now 21, stated that the assaults occurred multiple times in various cities, including Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. She first met Jani Master in 2017 and became his assistant in 2019.