Social worker Vignyan Mane filed a case in Sangli, Maharashtra, accusing music composer and filmmaker Palash Muchhal of cheating and committing offences under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Mane, a friend of Smriti Mandhana, submitted a complaint.
Social worker Vignyan Mane filed a case against music composer and filmmaker Palash Muchhal in Sangli, Maharashtra, alleging cheating and violations under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Mane, who is also a childhood friend of Muchhal’s ex-fiancée Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana, submitted a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Based on the complaint, the police registered the case.
Mane an actor and producer based in Sangli alleged that Muchhal induced him to invest lakhs of rupees in a film titled “Nazariya,” but did not repay the amount.
According to the complaint, a case was registered at the Sangli City Police Station for cheating as well as under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Speaking to reporters, Mane said that Muchhal had borrowed Rs 25 lakh from him,
“I am a law-abiding citizen who firmly believes in the Constitution of India and the rule of law. In 2024, Palash Muchhal took Rs 25 lakh from me under the pretext of investing in a film project, assuring me of good returns. However, after the film was completed, despite repeated follow-ups, he continued to delay repayment.”
The complainant said,
“On November 22, 2025, when he was in Sangli, I, along with my friends, met him in person. During this meeting, we realised that we had been deceived. At the same time, he made deeply offensive and casteist remarks about a particular community, which I have detailed in my FIR, as they are not appropriate to repeat publicly,”
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The complainant further alleged that Muchhal promised to return the money but failed to do so.
He added,
“Instead, he allegedly threatened me with physical harm through contacts in Mumbai, causing me significant mental harassment. I have reported all these incidents to the police… The casteist remarks deeply affected me, and with the support of my friends, I decided to take legal action,”
Police said the case has been registered under Section 3(1)(R)(S) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act, 2012, and under Sections 351, 302, and 352 of the BNS, for allegedly using caste-based abusive or derogatory remarks.