Fake Sexual Shaming Scandal Rocks Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited
• MOFSL accused of framing woman employee
• Sexual shaming disguised as ‘toxic female behaviour’ at MOFSL
• Bombay HC not yet given relief to MOFSL
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
MOFSL is accused of framing a woman employee through a fake internal committee, bypassing POSH laws & creating false sexual misconduct complaints misusing internal employees. The woman filed a 509 FIR & chargesheet for false sexual shaming charges. MOFSL then claims defamation. No charges filed against the woman at all.
The Bombay High Court has not yet quashed the FIR. Sprouts SIT calls for a judicial probe, citing serious violations of due process and governance.
Contents
Fake Sexual Shaming Scandal Rocks Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited• MOFSL accused of framing woman employee• Sexual shaming disguised as ‘toxic female behaviour’ at MOFSL• Bombay HC not yet given relief to MOFSLNo POSH, No Due Process: MOFSL Accused of faking internal inquiry committeeFrom eggs to FIR: The timeline of alleged retaliationSenior police officials aware, media evidence recordedBombay HC not yet granting relief; Courts flag premature actionCorporate gag orders & HR policy abuse at MOFSLSprouts SIT demands FIR re-investigation and ICC scrutinyAlso Read: Adani-led Dharavi Redevelopment Project Faces Backlash.Related Article: Motilal Oswal: The King of Frauds Exposed.Governance red flags and Sprouts SIT’s call for action
No POSH, No Due Process: MOFSL Accused of faking internal inquiry committee
MOFSL stands accused of forming a fake Internal Complaints Committee in violation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 (POSH Act). Despite the Act mandating a structured grievance redressal mechanism, the company never constituted a valid ICC and by-passed POSH procedures entirely.
Instead of activating POSH protocols when an internal complaint arose, MOFSL created a sham “independent committee” only after police involvement and media exposure. This committee was reportedly headed by Retired ACP Sunil Deshmukh, with external lawyers and a company lawyer who was himself named in the FIR. Alarmingly, the firm falsely cited Retired DCP Shirish Inaamdaar as the Presiding Officer, despite his total non-involvement … A fact verified by the Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT).
The woman employee was not issued any showcause notice, was not given a chance to legal representation at the time of suspension, and was suspended on the spot without inquiry. She was terminated after 5 long weeks of suspension. While still on payroll and officially suspended, MOFSL filed two court cases — A writ petition and a civil defamation suit … Behind her back, before she was even called to meet the fake committee. She later discovered this was a pre-planned strategy to shield senior male executives named in the FIR.
From eggs to FIR: The timeline of alleged retaliation
What began as a trivial workplace allegation — Eating eggs … Quickly escalated into a false sexual misconduct accusation, according to the complainant. With no male victim ever coming forward in the past during the womans entire tenure at MOFSL, the FIR charges under IPC Section 509 are for the woman’s baseless sexual defamation & sexual shaming, where no sexual misconduct was found on her part whatsoever.
In a total of 11 police complaints, the woman has alleged that the accused — Senior company executives … Stalked her at a 5 star Mumbai hotel, where they illegally recorded her without court permission or police sanction. These recordings were later misused by the fake ICC panel to justify punitive action. The recordings were done by the accused men in the FIR including the MOFSL lawyer. So the fake committee helped the booked men commit even more crimes.
The Bombay High Court, while not yet quashing the FIR, referred the matter to the Director General of Police, Maharashtra, for fresh compliance review. The complainant personally spoke with Mumbai CP Vivek Phansalkar over the phone, and visited multiple police locations — NM Joshi, Dadar, Mahim, Byculla, and Crawford Market … Seeking justice.
Senior police officials aware, media evidence recorded
The Sprouts SIT has confirmed that several high-ranking police officers were informed of the matter. These include :
•JCP (EOW) Nishith Mishra
•JCP (Law & Order) Satyanarayan Choudhary
•Additional CPs Anil Kumbhaare, Anil Paraskar, and Dnyaneshwar Chavan
•Divisional Assistant CPs Avinash Kanade and Sandeep Bhagdikar
Further, DCP Zone 5 Manoj Patil, DCP Zone 5 Pranaya Ashok, and Dadar Senior PI Mahesh Mugutrao provided press interviews and statements, reinforcing the gravity of the situation. Regional Additional CP Anil Paraskar issued a showcause notice to the Dadar Investigating Officer (IO) for procedural lapses.
Bombay HC not yet granting relief; Courts flag premature action
Even after three years, the Bombay High Court has not yet approved MOFSL’s plea to quash the FIR. The High Court criticized the accused for by-passing judicial permissions.
The City Civil Court, while not directly censuring MOFSL, noted that the company had misrepresented the woman’s statements.
It looks like MOFSL acted prematurely. The company filed a writ petition and a defamation suit totaling over 350 pages — While the complainant was still under suspension and unaware of the internal proceedings.
The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) has reviewed over 800 pages of documentation, including a 46-page police statement detailing 30+ offences by 29 employees and MOFSL as a corporate entity.
Corporate gag orders & HR policy abuse at MOFSL
Post-scandal, MOFSL reportedly introduced new communication blocking policies and revised whistleblower policies & revised POSH policies.
The new communication blocking policy restricted over 12,500 employees from having email access before & after office hours. This gag policy is being seen as an attempt to suppress employees from gathering evidence and isolate whistleblowers.
Employees were allegedly targeted over trivial actions like dietary choices, including the original accusation against the woman which accused her of eating eggs. The complainant claims these policies form part of a hostile environment strategy aimed at silencing internal dissent and obstructing legal transparency.
Even the suspension period raises red flags — Documents cite 14 days and 21 days inconsistently, showing internal contradictions and procedural ambiguity. MOFSL first said 14 days suspension. Then did nothing for 14 days. Then the cops & media got involved. Then the suspension was extended for 3 more weeks. That’s a total of 5 weeks. The suspension policy was overnight changed from 14 to 21 days. The extra 3 week period was used to file both court case papers & to form a fake committee & to record false police statements. In those police statements sexual misconduct allegations were made again. All this behind the woman’s back.
Sprouts SIT demands FIR re-investigation and ICC scrutiny
The chargesheet filed in the case reportedly includes 38 factual errors, prompting a demand for FIR re-investigation under CrPC 36. Section 14 of the POSH Act, which mandates action for false sexual complaints, may be invoked against MOFSL under CRPC 202 for breach of POSH and invoked for the fake ICC for conducting a fraudulent inquiry.
Concerns of natural justice violations are mounting, especially since the firm’s lawyer and the FIR-accused participated in the inquiry and recording and surveillance and representing MOFSL at the fake hearing. This blurring of roles between accused and judge points to a serious breakdown of corporate ethics.
The Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW), led by its Chief Rupali Chakankar and Adv. Gauri Chhabria, has officially written to Dadar SPI and ACP seeking intervention. Meanwhile, former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who met the complainant three years ago, remained in touch with Dadar IO Maanvir Pardeshi, and had reportedly spoken with Motilal Oswal, Ajay Menon, and Gaurav Manihar — Top executives of MOFSL.
Also Read: Adani-led Dharavi Redevelopment Project Faces Backlash.
Related Article: Motilal Oswal: The King of Frauds Exposed.
Governance red flags and Sprouts SIT’s call for action
This case now stands as a stark example of governance failure within a publicly listed financial firm. The fake ICC panel, denial of legal rights, premature litigation, and HR manipulation collectively signal institutional rot at MOFSL.
The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) demands:
•A judicial inquiry into the fake ICC panel
•A SEBI-led audit of MOFSL’s governance standards
•Re-examination of the FIR and chargesheet based on proven inconsistencies
This case demands urgent reforms in POSH implementation, whistleblower protections, and corporate accountability mechanisms. If left unaddressed, it risks becoming a dangerous precedent — Where powerful institutions silence victims and shield the accused through internal fraud.
