Sunny Deol, Karisma charged by Railways for pulling chain in 1997

Mumbai: A Railway court has framed charges against Bollywood actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol and actress Karisma Kapoor more than 20 years after they allegedly pulled the emergency chain of a train while shooting for a film.

The duo challenged the order in a sessions court, A K Jain, counsel of Kapoor and Deol, said.

The actors were accused of illegally pulling the chain of train 2413-A Uplink Express, which led to its delay by 25 minutes.

The counsel said the charges were initially read out against both the actors in 2009, which they challenged in a sessions court in April 2010.

The session court exonerated both the actors, but on September 17, the railway court again framed the charges against the two, Jain said.

Besides Deol and Kapoor, stuntman Tinu Verma and Satish Shah were also accused in the case but they had not challenged the charges against them in the sessions court in 2010.

The railway court has scheduled the next hearing in the 1997 case on September 24.

Then assistant station master Sitaram Malakar of Narena had lodged a complaint at the General Railway Police, following which the actors were accused of violating Section 141 (needlessly interfering with the means of communication in a train), Section 145 (drunkenness or nuisance), Section 146 (obstructing a railway servant in his duties) and Section 147 (trespass and refusal to desist from trespass) of the Railways Act.

In 1997, Deol and Kapoor, along with other crew members, were shooting for film 'Bajrang' at Sanvarda village near Phulera in Ajmer district.