The debate around singer-composer Anu Malik took a new turn when actor Tanushree Dutta, who kickstarted the MeToo movement in India, slammed Sony channel for reinstating the former as a judge.

Musician Anu Malik is one of the judges on the singing reality show, Indian Idol, which airs on Sony Channel.

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Tanushree questioned the channel’s motives about TRP’s and human values, and said in an interview with Mid-Day, “What shocks me most is how Sony, which is supposed to be a family-friendly channel, has allowed such a person to remain as a judge when several talented and high-profile women have come forward with their stories of harassment against him. Are TRPs more important than human values? Shouldn’t people who misbehave be held accountable for their deeds.”

When she was asked about Neha Kakkar’s silence, who is a fellow judge on Indian Idol, Tanushree brought up the episode of a fan forcibly kissing Neha on the show.

“She might have got a taste of what it feels like to be harassed when a contestant forcibly kissed her on the show. But again, like her decision to work with Anu Malik, Neha decided not to press charges on the disgusting guy! It was cringeworthy to watch a female celebrity being mauled like that on TV.” she said.

Recently, Anu Malik put out a public statement on his official Twitter handle defending himself against the sexual harassment accusations that have been levelled against him

“It has been over a year that I have been accused of something that I haven’t done. I have been silent all this while as I was waiting for the truth to surface on its own. But I realise that my silence on the matter has been misconstrued as my weakness,” he had said among other things including the fact that he could never thing of sexually assaulting anyone, especially when he is a father of two daughters.

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— Anu Malik (@The_AnuMalik) November 14, 2019