Sony TV decides to replace #MeToo accused Anu Malik this season

Mumbai: Music composer Anu Malik stepped down as a judge from Sony TV's music reality show Indian Idol 11 after receiving social media backlash.

Top Bollywood singers Sona Mohapatra, Neha Bhasin and Shweta Pandit had accused the composer of sexual harassment.

After he stepped down, composer Anu Malik spoke to the media and said he is not going away permanently, but is only taking a break for three weeks, post which he will be back on the show.

However, decisions have been taken against Anu Malik and it seems like the singer-composer will not be back on Indian Idol soon. A source from Sony TV said Anu Malik will not be returning to the show and will soon be replaced, just like he was last year.

In the last season of the show that has been in the running for more than a decade, singer Javed Ali replaced Anu Malik after he was ousted over #MeToo allegations put forth by many in the industry.

Singer Sona Mohapatra, who named Anu Malik in the past during the #MeToo spell said that Malik stepping down was a symbolic victory. She appreciated the channel Sony TV and said that though the channel has taken time, they have done the right thing.

Pressure mounted on the channel when Sona Mohapatra addressed an open letter to Smriti Irani, Union Women and Child Development Minister on Thursday. She wrote about how Sony TV ignored testimonies of multiple women against Anu Malik, and reinstated him as a judge on Indian Idol 11.

The National Commission for Women sent a notice Sony TV and shared the notice on their official Twitter page, upon receiving the letter.