Shilpa Shinde says sexual harassment case against Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain producer was false

Now, during an appearance on comedian Bharti Singh and writer Haarsh Limbachiyaa’s podcast, Shilpa explained why she filed the complaint.

‘I filed a sexual harassment case because I had no other option’

Recalling the episode, Shilpa Shinde said the matter had eventually been resolved through a settlement.

“The case ended. Nobody knows this, and I’m not afraid of telling the truth. Even today, I will say this because it is a big thing. I filed a sexual harassment case against my producer because I had no other option. Eventually, I got out of that situation because the matter was settled.”

She claimed that at the time, no producers supported the makers and that she filed the complaint as part of a larger legal battle.

“I filed the case on that basis because the police directly tell you that if you want an FIR registered, you have to make serious allegations. Since I come from a legal background, I understood the process. Even my friends warned me and asked if I realised what I was doing.”

According to Shilpa, she felt cornered and believed she had exhausted all other options.

The actor said, “I told them, ‘How much more can you hurt someone who’s already been destroyed?’ My situation had become so bad that I just wanted a way out. They wouldn’t leave me alone. I had quit the show and still had no way out. I gave up everything because I felt people couldn’t keep troubling me and trying to control me like that.”

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‘That allegation was false’

Shilpa Shinde also said Sanjay Kohli himself had once remarked that she had been pushed into a corner.

“Even Sanjay Kohli used to say that people had blocked every path for me, so obviously I would find another way out. Poor man, he ended up getting defamed because of it.”

Shilpa then made what she described as a first-time confession.

“Today, through this platform, I want to say that it was false. I am confessing this for the first time. After that, we reached a settlement and the payments that were due to me at the time, which we used to receive after three months, were cleared.”

She said both parties had agreed not to speak publicly about each other after the settlement.

“It was decided that neither side would speak about the other in the media after that. But he had to live with that allegation.”

‘They are actually very good people’

Shilpa Shinde also addressed why she later returned to work on Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain despite the public fallout.

“Even after 11 years, I did Bhabiji again because our writer Manoj Santoshi wanted it. I had hurt him. My return itself was an answer to everyone who questioned how I could work with them again after everything that had happened.”

She added that her relationship with the team is now on good terms.

The actor admitted that carrying the burden of what she called a false allegation had troubled her for years.

“I can’t explain what I was going through at that time. I fought the battle thinking, ‘To hell with all of you.’ Filing such a case after a year was very difficult for me, but I genuinely felt I had no other option,” she said.

‘I always wanted to confess the truth’

Shilpa said she had promised herself that she would acknowledge the truth whenever the opportunity arose.

“What I am saying today is a very big thing. Lying is not easy. A lie is a lie, whether it is small or big. I had told them that if life ever gave me the opportunity, I would confess that it was false. I know people will react after hearing this, but it was false. I am telling the truth today. I am not afraid of anyone.”

According to the actor, the issue continued to bother her even while she was working on Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain years later.

She said, “Even while doing Bhabiji again, it kept bothering me because I knew I had said something that wasn’t true. The reality is that they are very good people. I felt it was important to say this. That lie had been weighing on me for a long time. I just didn’t know when I would finally speak about it.”

The Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain controversy

Shilpa Shinde’s departure from Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain in 2016 triggered one of television’s biggest controversies. At the time, the actor exited the hit sitcom amid a dispute over her contract and alleged non-payment of dues. The show’s producers accused her of being unprofessional and served her a legal notice seeking her return to the set.

The dispute soon escalated into a legal battle, with Shilpa filing complaints against producer Binaifer Kohli and accusing producer Sanjay Kohli of sexual harassment. She also claimed she was being pressured within the industry, alleging attempts to blacklist her and force her into restrictive contractual agreements.

The matter was eventually resolved through a settlement, following which Shilpa’s pending payments were cleared. Both parties reportedly agreed not to publicly discuss each other going forward. More than a decade later, the former rivals reconciled, with Shilpa even returning to the Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain franchise. The actor has since said that her relationship with the makers is now cordial.

Disclaimer: This article is an entertainment news report based on public statements and disclosures made by individuals during a public podcast. The views and claims expressed are those of the individual concerned and do not constitute legal commentary or factual verification of the legal dispute by this publication.