Mumbai: In the sexual harassment case against retired deputy general manager of MSRTC Virendra Kadam, the sessions court has directed the Mumbai police not to arrest him until his anticipatory bail plea is heard. The case was filed by an employee of a consulting and auditing firm, who alleged that he sought sexual favours in exchange for promotion.
Kadam had last week approached the court for anticipatory bail, claiming he has been falsely implicated. He claimed that at no point of time he was alone with the complainant. He also claimed that though he retired as DGM (IT), he was reappointed by the organisation in March 2023 on contractual basis till October 2025.
Kadam Claims Treating Each Colleague With Respect & Dignity
In his plea, Kadam has claimed that he has worked with many female employees, including officers and consultants from M/s KPMG, and has always treated them with utmost respect and dignity. “The applicant (Kadam) consistently received respectful response in return, except for this isolated complaint filed by the complainant,” the plea states. He has claimed that the complainant was working as a consultant appointed by MSRTC through the IT division since 2018, but there was not a single complaint against him.
Kadam claimed that for want of valid qualification, he had (in January and March 2024) recommended for removal of two consultants, including the complainant, which was also in April this year. On May 29, the day of the alleged incident, the complainant was informed about the decision to remove her, following which she allegedly filed the case in retaliation.
Refuting the allegations, Kadam has said that a senior vigilance officer was present in the cabin from 4.30pm to 6.30pm along with others as against the claim of the complainant that she was alone with him between 5pm and 5.30pm.
The court has scheduled Kadam’s bail plea for next week. The complainant, through her lawyer Amarendra Pargaonkar, had also moved the court pleading to intervene. Her plea has been allowed.
