Anu Malik steps down as Indian Idol 11 judge after sexual harassment allegations

New Delhi : Music composer Anu Malik has stepped down as the Indian Idol 11 judge after a strong protest was held against the claims of sexual harassment levelled by singer Sona Mohapatra.

A source from SonyTV confirmed to IANS news agency that Anul Malik is stepping down as the judge of the show.

The sexual harassment allegations against him started in 2018 when Sona Mohapatra raised her voice against sexual misconduct. At that time, he had to step down from the Indian Idol Season 10. Later, Neha Bhasin and Shweta Pandit had also synced their voices with Sona Mohapatra against Anu Malik.

However, Anu Malik was again roped in as the judge of the show for its Season 11. Sona Mohapatra again raised her voice with the same allegations.

Over the past days, she has mustered huge support on social media, and people have increasingly been demanding Malik’s removal from the show.

A couple of days back, Anu Malik had shared his views on the social media, tagging the claims as "false and unverified allegations". He said that he was “in pain” and “in a dark space”, demanding justice.