Nana Patekar an illustrious personality, says Maha minister

Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar Wednesday came out in support of Nana Patekar, accused by fellow actor Tanushree Dutta of harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, saying he is an "illustrious personality" who has done tremendous work for the state.

He also questioned the veracity of Dutta's claims and asked why was an FIR not registered all these years.

The Shiv Sena member said Patekar is known as a social worker, adding that unless there is a complaint, one can't accuse a person of his (Patekar's) stature.

"He is not just an actor. He is also a social activist who has done tremendous work for the state. You just cannot level allegations against anybody," he said.

Patekar is an "illustrious personality" who has done tremendous work for Maharashtra, the minister of state for home told PTI.

On Dutta's claims, he said, "This is not how the home department functions. Why was there no FIR registered in the last 10 years? What is the substantial evidence on which a complaint can be registered a decade after the incident took place?"