PTC Punjabi Channel of the Badal family organizes the beauty pageant each year
Agencies
CHANDIGARH: A 24-year-old beauty contestant in the Miss Punjabi-2022 pageant, who was allegedly pressured for sexual favours by the organizers, was `rescued’ by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday.
The Miss Punjabi pageant is organized by PTC Punjabi channel by owned the Badal family.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court intervened after the father of the beauty contestant moved a habeas corpus petition, alleging that his daughter was in “illegal custody” of the organizers in Mohali.
PTC Channel managing director Rabindra Narayan, Miss Punjabi director Nancy Ghuman, assistant director Niharika and Hotel JD Residency in Mohali were named in the petition.
According the petition, the Miss Punjabi organizers called the girl to the PTC Punjabi channel office in Sector 74 in Mohali on March 3 for audition.
After she cleared the audition, the girl was put up at Hotel JD Residency in Mohali.
The petition said that on Monday night the girl called her father to tell him that she was being pressured for sexual favours by some of the organizers and being denied food.
She said said she was made to sign some blank papers and not allowed to leave.
The petition also alleged that when her father approached authorities to get his daughter released, they demanded money.
Admitting the petition, the High Court appointed a warrant officer who went and “rescued” the girl from the Miss Punjabi organisers on Tuesday. The court has asked the warrant officer to file a detailed report by March 17.
However, PTC Channel managing director Rabindra Narayan denied the allegations.
In a statement, he said, “We have been doing the event for the past three decades and during the contest, the contestants are not allowed to meet anyone. On Monday, the girl went out of the premises without permission and the production in charge scolded her, following which she lodged a complaint, alleging that she has been illegally confined, which is totally baseless. The warrant officer came on Tuesday evening and we have allowed her to go.”
