The Delhi high court sought the response of the Delhi police on Wednesday on a plea filed by Bollywood film Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui, sentenced to seven years imprisonment for raping a US researcher, challenging his conviction.

Justice S.P. Garg also issued notice to the police on the bail plea of Farooqui and directed it to file its reply by November 30, the next date of hearing.

A trial court had on August 4 sent him to jail for seven years observing that he had taken advantage of the situation when the victim was alone in his house.

The court, which on July 30 had held Farooqui guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state, had also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.

While convicting 44-year-old Farooqui, the trial court had said the victim’s testimony was credible that he took advantage of the fact that their common friends were not at his residence where the researcher had visited. Mr Farooqui, who was earlier out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in the case.

The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the woman’s complaint after which he was arrested.